Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary- General and MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, at a reception to thank DAP 15th Anniversary Special Congress and Congress Dinner workers at the DAP PJ Headquarters, Petaling Jaya, on Saturday, 5th Sept. 1981 at 8 p.m.
DAP PETAKING JAYA DECLARATION 1981 is a reaffirmation of the DAP’s political ideals of a democratic socialist Malaysian Malaysia and a reiteration that the single foret task for Malaysia is national building.
The DAP Petaling Jaya Declaration 1981, adopted by the DAP 15th Anniversary Special Congress in PJ on August 30, is an important political milestone for the DAP.
It is a reaffirmation of the DAP’s political ideals of a democratic socialist Malaysian Malaysia, and a reiteration that 24 years after Merdeka, the foremost task for Malaysia remains that of nation building- the welding of the diverse races, cultures, languages and religions into united, harmonious and Malaysian-oriented and centred people.
Recently, fresh in the wake of the accession of the Mahathir-Musa political leadership, the press were full of publicity about the new government’s determination to have an efficient, competent, and clean civil service.
Whether a clean, courteous and competent civil services would be created or not, only time will tell. However, the desire for a clean, courteous and competent civil service cannot hide the fact that nation building, the creating of one people out of the diverse, remain the one central challenge for all Malaysians in the 1980s and 1990s.
It is sad and most unfortunate that 24 years aster Merdeka, there are still powerful political forces which did not want to recognize the simple fact of life in Malaysia, that it is a nation of diverse races, that no one single racial group is in the majority, and that the only way to build Malaysia is by the process of accommodation, tolerance, compromise and integration. Ant attempt by any racial minority to impose its will on the majority of the other races, to enforce a policy of assimilation though couched in the language of ‘integration’ not only cannot succeed, but will bring misfortune to Malaysia and all its races.
The Suhaimis believe that they can get things their way, as in implementing Clauses 21(2) of the 1961 Education Act to convert Chinese and Tamil primary schools into national primary schools; to slow down the economic growth of the non-Malays; recently to ban the DAP!
The Suhaimis may succeed if they have to deal only with the Lee San Choons and the MCA, for in the Lee San Choons and MCA, the Suhaimis can exert a variety of political, economic, social pressures which are difficult to withstand.
This was how the Suhaimis succeeded in blocking the MCA-inspired take over of 51% of the UMBC by the Multi-Purpose Holdings Bhd., and how the MCA were forced to backtrack from the earlier public pronouncement that KOJADI would be purchasing a university in Canada.
The MCA claims to represent the five million Malaysian Chinese, but nobody, least of all, the Barisan component parties like UMNO MCA, believe in it.
This is why when I described Datuk Lee San Choon as an ‘Emperor without clothes’ in claiming representation of the five million Malaysian Chinese when he dare not stand for election in a predominantly Chinese constituency, ‘the Emperor without clothes’ dare not reply.
In response to my challenge that ‘the Emperor without clothes’ pick any one of the eight constituencies won by the DAP in the 1978 general elections, namely Kuala Lumpur Bandar, Sungei Besi, Petaling, Ipoh, Menglembu, Tanjung, Seremban and Kota Melaka, to seek a mandate from the Malaysian Chinese, the naked emperor directed his Ipoh henchman to direct a vitriolic attack on me.
But the gist of the message is that I should stand in a predominantly Malay constituency, which confirms merely the DAP thesis, that MCA leaders dare not stand in predominantly Chinese constituencies.
What respect UMNO leaders would get from the Malay masses, if claiming to be leaders of the Malays, they dare not stand in Malay constituencies? Similarly, MCA leaders by their conduct can get no respect either from the Malaysian Chinese or even from the Malays.
This is why, the Suhaimis could so easily arm-twist the MCA to submit to their demands, like the IMBC case and the Kojadi buying of a university in Canada scandal.
It is well-known that MCA leaders are in politics, not for what they could do for the people, but what they could do for themselves.
Challenge to Datuk Lee San Choon to declare his and his family’s assets publicly.
Recently, he new Mahathir-Musa political leadership has issued a directive that all Ministers should declare their assets, including bank accounts inside and outside the country, and that of their family to the Prime Minister.
In its 24 years of participation in Cabinet government ever since Merdeka, the MCA had been most silence and quiet about the need to combat and root out corruption, in particular corruption in high political places.
I challenge Datuk Lee San Choon to explain to the people of Malaysia why the MCA, throughout the years, had never been in the forefront of the campaign for a clean, honest and incorruption government.
I also challenge Datuk Lee San Choon to set a good example now, by immediately declaring his and his family’s assets, inside and outside the country, for public examination! Is Datuk Lee San Choon prepared to set this example?
Recently, there have been calls for the political parties to unite to jointly protect, defend and advance the legitimate constitutional, political, economic, social and cultural, educational interests of Malaysian Chinese. One of the pre-conditions of such a get-together to pool the total resources is that every political leader is clean, honest, incorruptible and dedicated, so that none of them has a ‘weak spot’ or ‘Achilles’ ‘heel’ to be used as a vulnerable target to compel him to betray the movement.
All DAP leaders are prepared to publicly declare their and their family assets. We will like to know whether all CA, Gerakan and SUPP leaders are similarly prepared to declare publicly their assets and that of their families and subject themselves to public examination and accounting.