Curator – Page 380 – Pursuit of a Malaysian Dream

Hold local council elections

Speech by MP for Bandar Melaka, Lim Kit Siang in the Dewan Rakyat on 20th July 1973 on the Local Government (Temporary Provisions) Bill, 1973.

Call on Alliance Government to honour its solemn pledge to Parliament in 1965 to hold local council elections

The current meeting of Parliament started with the tampering of the Constitution to abolish nine Selangor State Assembly seats and the disenfranchise signing the death certificate for elected local government, by the passage of the local Government (Temporary Provisions) Bill 1973.

With the passage of this Bill, all councillors in all local authorities holding office shall forthwith cease to hold office, it will then be up to the respective State Governments to appoint the members of the Board of Management of the local authorities.

The Alliance record on the question of elected local government is a record of broken promises and breathes of faith to the people and country.

When the Alliance Government suspended local council elections on 1st March 1965, the then Prime Minister gave as justification the threat of Indonesian Confrontation. But he gave a solemn pledge, which I quote: Continue reading Hold local council elections

The disenfranchisement of Kuala Lumpur

Parliament meets today to amend the Malaysian Constitution the second time in three months, and the third time since the reconvening of Parliament in February 1971.

Thanks to the Alliance Government, the Malaysian Constitution has won international renown as one of the most amended and tampered written constitutions in the world.

The history of constitution-gerrymandering by the Alliance Party has rightly given rise to questions about the true intentions of the present move. The history of the changes to the Malaysian constitution is a history of intolerance, the subordination of national interest to petty party considerations, and the lack of a democratic spirit among the top government leaders of the country. Continue reading The disenfranchisement of Kuala Lumpur

Fan Yew Teng’s case – encroachment against basic freedoms

Speech by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr.Lim Kit Siang, to a meeting of DAP Selangor State leaders, branch officials and activities at the DAP Kuala Lumpur Branch at 63-D Jalan Sultan, on Sunday, 8th July 1973 at 2p.m.

1. Fan Yew Teng’s case: A test of the people’s will to withstand undermocratic encroachment against basic freedoms.

Three days ago, Sdr. Fan Yew Teng, DAP National Organising Secretary and M.P. for Kempar, was re-arrested and re-charged under the Sedition Act after winning an appeal all the way to the Privy Council on the same subject matter.

It is clear to all that the re-charge is motivated solely by political considerations on the hope of breaking the will of Sdr.Fan Yew Teng and other DAP leaders and activities to oppose the unjust and undemocratic policies of the Alliance, or to bankrupt the party by involving it in expensive litigation, or preferably both.

Of all the opposition parties in Malaysia, no other party has suffered greater persecution or suppression than the DAP, for it is the only party which has dared to stand up unflinchingly for the rights of the downtrodden as amply illustrated by our record in Parliament, the State Assemblies and in public. Continue reading Fan Yew Teng’s case – encroachment against basic freedoms

Sending of principals and clerks who do not know Chinese to Chinese primary schools

Press Statement by Lim Kit Siang, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Bandar Melaka on 4 July 1973:

Sending of principals and clerks who do not know Chinese to Chinese primary schools: DAP calls on Dato Hussein Onn to publicly declare government’s policy and intention

For the past week or so, the Chinese community partners, teachers and students have been greatly disturbed by the deliberate departure from policy by the Education Departments in various states in sending principles not versed in Chinese to Chinese Primary schools, as in Perak, and the despatch of large numbers of clerks who do not know Chinese to manage Chinese school affairs as in Kedah, and Selangor.

One of the reasons why the Chinese community and the Chinese educational circles unanimously opposed the 1971 Education (Amendment) Act which abolished the powers of hire and fire of the Board of Managements was the fear that the amendment will be the first practical step to change the character of Chinese primary schools without consultation and consent of the Chinese community, apart from the MCA.

It is still fresh in public memory that after vigorous opposition expressed by the Chinese educational bodies and societies. MCA leaders such as Mr.Lew Sip Hon and Mr.Alex Lee sought to alley such fears by publicly giving an anequiviocal pledge that “Chinese schools will not be touched.” Continue reading Sending of principals and clerks who do not know Chinese to Chinese primary schools

The right of the retrenched estate workers

Speech by DAP Secretary General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr.Lim Kit Siang, to the DAP National Estates Sub-Committee on Wednesday, July 4, 1973 at 8 p.m.

In sungei Siput on March 12, 1972, I announced the formation of the DAP National Estates Sub-Committee to champion the case of the retrenched estate workers, and in particular, to fight for the right of the retrenched estate workers to a decent life in Malaysia.

Since then, the DAP has consistently, inside and outside the Parliament and State Assemblies, raised the voice on behalf of the downtrodden estate workers, particularly those who had been displaced and thrown onto the unemployment heap.

The problems of the estate workers had in the last decade been mass retrenchment, a decent livelihood, citizenship, education.

For the last 16 months that the DAP National Estates Sub Committee has been in operation, the DAP voice for a new deal for estate workers wad ignored by the Government, and in particular the MIC, which claimed to be the champion of the Indian community in Malaysia. Continue reading The right of the retrenched estate workers

Announce blue- print and master plan for the upliftment of 900,000 new villagers

Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary- General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka. Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Public Really at Bukit Mertajam on Saturday, 23rd June 1973 at 8p.m.

Call for urgent Ministry of Education action to upgrade the quality and standard of teaching in Malaysian primary schools.

Three months ago, the country was gravely shaken by the by news that 14,400 MCE candidates last year failed led in the MCE examination although they are bright, intelligent and hardworking students- just because of the inexplicable failure in Bahasa Malaysia.

In fact, mass failures at all levels of our education system, by students above average and hardworking, has become the feature of Malaysian education system.

Last month n Parliament, I asked the Minister of Education for detailed results of last year’s Std V Assessment Examination and only a few days ago, I received the particulars. Continue reading Announce blue- print and master plan for the upliftment of 900,000 new villagers

Parents should take active and direct interest in the education of their children

Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary- General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka. Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Public Really at Pokok Asam, Taiping, on Saturday, 23rd June 1973 at 10 p.m.

Call on Parents to take on active and direct interest in the education of their children if they are not going to be mis- educated and grow up as misfits in society

Under the past Alliance rule for over 15 years, the education in the country has become more and more muddled, with the quality and standards of education deteriorating from year to year.

Parents must take an active and direct interest in the education of their children, if their children are not going to be mis- educated and grow up as misfits in society.

For the last decade, hundreds of thousands of Malaysian youths have gone to school to come out only to join the ranks of the unemployed. Continue reading Parents should take active and direct interest in the education of their children

National Chinese Education convention on low standard of Chinese language in Chinese primary schools

Speech by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at Malacca State Sub-Committee Meeting on Tuesday, 19th June 1973 at 6.30 p.m.

Call on Chinese School Board of Managements, educationists, principals, teachers and parents to convene a national Chinese Education convention to discuss the low standard of Chinese language in Chinese primary schools

Last year, the DAP, spearheaded by the DAP Chinese Education Sub- Committee, tried to arouse public concern and consciousness about the grave problem of low quality and standard of Chinese language in Chinese primary schools.

We also disclosed the shockingly high rate of mass failures in the Chinese language during the Std. V Assessment Examination of the previous year (1971), where apart from Malacca, all states had over 34% failures. In the case of Perak, the failure among Chinese primary students in the Chinese subject was as high as 51%.

Unfortunately, apart from the public concern of a few educationists and teachers, the majority appeared unconcerned or indifferent. In fact, a few Chinese school teachers even criticized me for publicly raising this matter, and when I checked their credentials, I find they are invariably with the MCA. On lesser matters, big meetings were held; but on this crucial issue, everybody kept a distance. Continue reading National Chinese Education convention on low standard of Chinese language in Chinese primary schools

Genuinely help uplift the lot of the 900,000 new villagers

Speech by Opposition Leader and DAP Secretary-General, Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Public Rally at Bukit Rambai, Malacca on Sunday, 17th June 1973 at 8 p.m.

Advice to Mr. Lee San Choon not to use his Ministerial office for personal political capital but genuinely to help uplift the lot of the 900,000 new villagers

As a result of the public agitation mounted by the DAP in 1971, spearheaded by the DAP National New Villages Sub-Committee, the Government succumbed to public pressure and appointed a new Minister specially charged with the upliftment of the economic lot of the 900,000 new villagers in the country.

When Dr. Lim Keng Yaik became the Minister of Special Functions on Jan. 1, 1972, there was expectation that at last, after 20 years of government neglect and deprivation of development funds, the 450 new villagers would be brought into the mainstream of national development and growth.

The former Minister made highly publicized tours throughout the country, and in fact, during his visit to the Machap Umbu New Village in Malacca, he was hailed as a ‘Magistrate Pao Reborn’. Continue reading Genuinely help uplift the lot of the 900,000 new villagers

End of Interchangeability between Malaysian and Singapore currencies

Speech by Opposition Leader and DAP Secretary-General, Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Public Rally in Batu Pahat on Sunday, 17th June 1973 at 10 p.m.

1. Call on Government not to discriminate against Chinese and Tamil languages in favour of English.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Education have jointly started the ETV, or Education Television, for primary and secondary schools for quite some time.

However, it is highly regrettable that the Government has discriminates against Chinese and Tamil schools in preferences for English schools.

There is English-language Education Television series, whether it be modern mathematics, integrated science, civics, etc. but conspicuously omitted are ETV series in Chinese and Tamil language.

Right from the beginning, all four languages, Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil, had been used for radio school programmes catering to the needs of school children in all language media schools. Continue reading End of Interchangeability between Malaysian and Singapore currencies