By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Monday, November 23, 1991:
Call on Lim Geok Chan to declare publicly whether he supports the new MCA policy concession that there is no constitutional basis, status or guarantee for Chinese primary schools.
I am surprised and shocked by the statement by the President of the 15 Chinese organizations and the Selangor Chinese Aseembly Hall accusing the DAP of ‘wasting its time on impractical matter’ in our current controversy with the MCA leadership over the greatest MCA concession in the 42-year MCA history on the constitutional status and guarantee of Chinese primary schools.
I Call on Lim Geok Chan to declare publicly whether he supports the new MCA policy concession that there is no constitutional basis, status or guarantee for Chinese primary schools.
If not, how could Lim Geok Chan echo the MCA line and describe the DAP efforts to defend, preserve and uphold the constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for the existence and development of Chinese primary schools as ‘wasting its time on impractical matter’.
Does Lim Geok Chan understand the issue involved in the controversy between the DAP and the MCA? If he does not understand the constitutional implication of the issue, then as a person who is regarded as the leader of the Chinese organization, he should study and understand the issue first before making public comments.
If he understands the issue involved, and has decided to declare support for the new MCA policy stand, as enunciated by the MCA Deputy President, Datuk Lee Kim Sai, in his Bukit Mertajam speech, then let Geok Chan declare his stand forthrightly and publicly.
Lim Goek Chan should explain firstly, why he has committed the 15 chinese organizations and the Salangor Chinese Assembly Hall to support the greatest MCA concession in the 42-year MCA history – i.e. to declare that there is no constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for Chinese primary schools; and secondly, why he has accepted the new MCA policy position that Chinese primary schools in Malaysia are allowed to exist not because of the present education policy of the Barisan Nasional government.
I am also surprised that there is the suggestion that the DAP will be arousing ‘sensitive’ issues in pursing the controversy between the DAP and MCA.
It would appear that to some Chinese community and organization leaders, there is nothing ‘sensitive’ when MCA leaders declare that there is no constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for Chinese primary schools, but the question become highly ‘sensitive’ when the DAP challenges this concession.
Such attitude is equivalent to taking the approach that to concede and give up constitution right is acceptable and not ‘sensitive’ but to defend constitution tights is wrong and ‘highly sensitive’.
Lim Goek Chan should declare whether he has committed the the 15 chinese organization and the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall to this attitude as well.
Is Lim Goek Chan repudiating the 1985 Joint Chinese Organisations Declaration
Lim Geok Chan could not have forgotten the 1985 Joint Chinese Organisation Declaration affirming the constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee of Chinese primary schools and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on mother-tongue education.
Lim Geok Chan repudiating the 1985 Joint Chinese Organisation Declaration. And does Lim Goek Chan now regard the 1985 Joint Chinese Organisation Declaration as one example of ‘easting time on impractical matter’?
Lim Geok Chan also cannot be unaware that in the last 34 years since Merdeka, there had been two great opposing camps over the issue of the constitutional status and guarantee of Chinese primary schools.
One camp had always held that the Malaysian Constitution does not provide any right, basis, status and guarantee to Chinese primary schools, but only guarantee the study of Chinese as a language, whether in schools, factories or homes. Consequently, this camp calls for the closure of Chinese primary schools and to only allow Chinese to be taught as subject in primary schools. The extremists and chauvinist political leaders in UMNO are the strongest advocates of this camp.
The second camp held directly contrary stand and which is represented by the DAP in out 25 years of political struggle, that the Malaysian Constitution provides constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee not only for the study of Chinese as a language, but the use of Chinese as a medium of instruction in Chinese primary schools. In other word, the Constitution provides constitutional status and guarantee to Chinese primary schools, and anyone calling for their closure will be violating the constitutional rights of the existence of Chinese primary schools.
Present MCA leadership has decided to switch camps to support those who hold that the Constitution does not guarantee the existence of Chinese primary schools but only the study of Chinese as a language.
It is clear from the 12-day controversy over this issue between the DAP and MCA, that the MCA leadership has now switched camps and openly joined those who hold that the Constitution does not provide any constitutional status or guarantee for Chinese primary schools, but only guarantee the study of Chinese as a language.
The DAP is shocked that while we are trying to get the MCA leadership to retract its greatest concession in its 42-year party history, the MCA leadership seems to have succeeded in converting Lim Geok Chan to supports the new MCA policy position.
I say this for two reason: firstly, Lim Geok Chan showed no concern whatsoever over the MCA leadership’s concession that there is no constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for Chinese primary schools; and secondly, by saying that the DAP is ‘wasting time on impractical matter’, Lim Geok Chan is stating such a concession is unimportant and acceptable and indirectly giving his bleesing to the MCA leadership’s greatest concession in the 42-year party history.
I am sure that the entire Chinese community await for a full clarification and exposition of his stand and reasons by Lim Geok Chan.