Author: Curator

Malacca Police banned discussion on Nantah, Formosan, Indian and Middle-Eastern university degrees and qualifications issues

Press Statement by DAP Secretary General and MP for Bandar Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, on 14 Feb 1973:

DAP condemns Malacca Police for banning discussion of government refusal to recognise Nantah, Formosan, Indian and Middle-Eastern university degrees and qualifications at DAP public rally in Malacca on Sunday, 18th Feb

I am shocked to learn today that the Malacca police has banned the discussion of the question of government refusal to accord recognition to Nantah, Formosan, Indian and Middle-Eastern university degrees and qualifications at DAP public rally in Malacca on Sunday, 18th Feb 1973

DAP officials in Malacca were told that the police would give a permit for the Sunday night rally on two conditions:

(1) No mobile announcements about the holding of the rally; and
(2) The question of recognition of Nantah, Formosan, Indian and Middle Eastern university degrees and qualifications cannot be raised for it is ‘sensitive’. Continue reading Malacca Police banned discussion on Nantah, Formosan, Indian and Middle-Eastern university degrees and qualifications issues

Remove anti-labour clauses and safeguard and protect the right of workers

Speech by DAP Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, in the Dewan Rakyat on the 1973 Ministry of Labour and Manpower Estimates on 25 January 1973

1. Call for royal commission of inquiry into the labour laws in the country to remove anti-labour clauses and safeguard and protect the right of workers to a just share of the fruits of their labour. .

Firstly, let me express my disappointment that although we were promised that at this session of Parliament, the Ministry of Labour and Manpower would be tabling amendments to labour legislations in the country, we have not received any Bill or indication. I hope the Minister can tell the workers in the country as to the government’s intentions on this.

The workers are the most neglected lot under the Second Malaysia Plan. There has been increasing labour unrest since the launching of the Second Malaysia Plan, and in the last few months, industrial disputes have come thick and fast.

The Alliance Government’s policy under the Second Malaysian Plan is to have a vast reservoir of docile and cheap labour, to attract foreign capitalists. Unemployment rate is so high that the bargaining strength of the workers are undermined – for the employers can easily dismiss ‘difficult’ workers and replace them with even cheaper labour. Furthermore, they have the blessing of the government. Continue reading Remove anti-labour clauses and safeguard and protect the right of workers

Call on government to democratise and liberalise its mass media policy to permit freedom of speech and information

Speech by DAP Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, in the Dewan Rakyat on 24 Jan 1973

Call on government to democratise and liberalise its mass media policy to permit freedom of speech and information and fair television time for all language programmes

I refer to B.36 sub-head 1100: Gaji and Upahan untok ranchangan atau programming, under the Ministry of Broadcasting.

Since September last year, for almost every night, Television Malaysia telecasts the same programes of Bahasa Malaysia news and Peristiwa (television news magazine) over both channels at the same time.

This means that for 37 minutes every night, a television viewer is offered the same fare over both channels, and he has no escape whatsoever from the blatant government propaganda in the Peristiwa programme. Whether he turns on the first or second channel, he sees the same Minister planting a tree, cutting a ribbon or making a speech. What made matters worse is that this is done during the prime television time between 8.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.

The worst victims are the Chinese and Tamil film programmes which are interrupted no less than three times, and sometimes four times, by other programmes – apart from television advertisement interruptions. Continue reading Call on government to democratise and liberalise its mass media policy to permit freedom of speech and information

Call for a Commission of Inquiry into the conditions in the prisons and detention camps

Speech by DAP Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, in the Dewan Rakyat on the Home Affairs Ministry estimates for 1973 on 24th Jan 1973

1. Calls on Government to (a) let the Selangor Chinwoo Association time to set its house in order and (b) advance grant of $500,000 to it to tide over its financial difficulties to preserve Chinese culture in Malaysia

I refer to B.32 (p.275) on Pendaftar Pertubuhan.

On Dec. 26 last year the Registrar of Societies deregistered the Selangor Chinwoo Association. Since them, the court has granted an order directing the Registrar’s deregistration order to be set aside. We understand that the Attorney General has filed a writ in chambers to set aside this High Court order.

I do not intend to go into the legal merits or demerits of these maneuvers as it would be sub judice.

However, I wish to find out why the Registrar of Societies and the Minister concerned could not have given the Selangor Chinwoo Association more time to straighten out its affairs, as reason for deregistration was failure to submit its financial statements to the Registrars.
Continue reading Call for a Commission of Inquiry into the conditions in the prisons and detention camps

DAP hails complete ceasefire in Vietnam

DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today issued the following statement (23.1.1973)

The Democratic Action Party joins the peace-loving people of the world in hailing the complete ceasefire in Vietnam announced simultaneously in Hanoi, Saigon and Washington.

The complete ceasefire in Vietnam marks a turning point in the history of the twentieth century. It rings down the curtain of an era where a super-power can dictate the destiny of another nation, however small and undeveloped, by sheer brute force and material plenty.

The Vietnamese ceasefire is in fact a triumph of ideas over bullets, of resolution and human tenacity over all the arsenal of death which modern science has harnessed to rain down on man from the skies, the seas and the land.

More bombs have been drooped in small Vietnam than the First and Second World War put together. All the B52s, napalm bombs, tanks, backed by the richest treasury in the world, could not cow however a small, economically-backward Asian people but was instead fought to a standstill and stalemate. Continue reading DAP hails complete ceasefire in Vietnam

DAP calls for pre-university and university education for all Malaysian youths who are academically qualified

Speech by DAP Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, in the Dewan Rakyat on the Education Ministry Estimate for 1973 on 23 rd January 1973.

On Dec, 20 last year, the Minister of Education announced in this House the government’s refusal to accord recognition to Nantah, Formosan and Indian University degrees and qualifications.

This was a great disappointment to the over 10,000 Malaysians who hold these degrees and qualifications, and to their families and relatives who have suffered and sacrificed to give their children a chance for university education.

For the whole of last year, the country was led to believe that after over a decade of discrimination, the government was at last considering the recognition of these degrees and qualifications.

The House was even told that the Ministry of Education’s Standing Committee on the Evaluation and Assessment of Foreign Degrees and Qualifications was preparing a report to the Ministry and Cabinet. Continue reading DAP calls for pre-university and university education for all Malaysian youths who are academically qualified

DAP calls for a two-pronged policy to reduce the economic burden of defence

Speech by DAP Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, in the Dewan Rakyat during the Committee Stage debate on Ministry of Defence on 22th January 1973

DAP calls for a two-pronged policy to reduce the economic burden of defence by introducing compulsory national service and giving secondary civilian economic function to the armed forces

Years by years, the expenditures for the Ministry of Defence increase by leaps and bounds.

In 1965, the operating expenses of the Ministry of the Defence was $207 million. For this year, the operating expenses is $580 million, a three-fold increase. Even if we take into account the transfer this year from the development expenditure into the operating expenses, the increase in the recurrent annual expenditure in the last eight years is more than doubled.

This is a very serious state of affairs, as defence is one of the major items of government expenditure. If defence expenditures are allowed to increase yearly unchecked and unrestrained, the proper social, economic and educational development of the people and country are going to be distorted and retarded. Thus, as an example, there was a Ministry of Housing eight years ago, but today, there is hardly and funds allocated to the provision of housing for the millions of homeless in the country. Continue reading DAP calls for a two-pronged policy to reduce the economic burden of defence

Despicable and dirty election tactics in Kuala Kedah by-election

Press Statement by Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, on 20.1.1973

I am shocked to receive reports that the Alliance election workers in Kuala Kedah have resorted to the most despicable and dirty election tactics on the last day of the parliamentary by-election.

For today’s polling day, Alliance election workers are flooding Kuala Kedah constituency in tens of thousands of copies of spurious, false, counterfeit joint appeal purported to be signed by the Independent Candidate, Cik Siti Nor Binti Hamid Tuah and his father, Cik Hamid Tuah, urging the voters to vote the Alliance.

In this ‘cooked-up’ appeal, Cik Siti and his father were alleged to have said that they have realized that they were being made used off by opposition parties to betray the race and country.

The Alliance election strategists, in fear of a trouncing, are resorting to this despicable tactic on the last day – in order to create maximum confusion and damage as the Independent Candidate would have no time to rebut and expose the trickery and deception. Continue reading Despicable and dirty election tactics in Kuala Kedah by-election

Social justice to the 10,000 Malaysian holders of Nantah and Formosan degrees

Speech by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP public rally to protest against government refusal to accord recognition to Nantah and Formosan degrees and qualifications held at Seremban on Saturday, 20th January 1973 at 9 p.m.

Call for the formation of a “National Action Committee to Secure Government Recognition of Nantah and Formosan degrees and qualifications” to launch a nation-wide movement to seek redress and social justice to the 10,000 Malaysian holders of these degrees

Every year, at the MCA Annual General Assembly, the MCA pass a resolution urging the Alliance Government to accord recognition to Nantah and Formosan degrees and qualifications. And every year, the Alliance Government, of which the MCA is a partner, will refuse to accord recognition. This has been going on for over a decade and the MCA’s empty gesture and lip-service without sincerity has become a great mockery of the great sacrifices and hardships hundreds of thousands of Malaysians have gone through to allow 10,000 Malaysians youths university education in the Nantah and Formosan universities and colleges.

The people are aware that such sorry states of affairs do not happen when it comes to UMNO General Assembly resolutions. For these resolutions, when passed, are acted on with dispatch and resolution as becomes a member of the ruling party. Continue reading Social justice to the 10,000 Malaysian holders of Nantah and Formosan degrees

Agricultural crisis in Johore – lift government ban immediately

Speech by DAP Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, in the Dewan Rakyat on the Committee Stage Debate on the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries 17.1.1973

DAP calls on immediate lifting of government ban on the import of chicken droppings or fowl dung manure to end the agricultural crisis in Johore

I have received representations from Johore farmers about the agricultural crisis they are facing as a result of the government ban on the import of ‘ chicken droppings’ or ‘fowl dungs’ manure into West Malaysia from Singapore from 1st of December last month.

The ban on the import of chicken droppings has created a major agricultural crisis and threatened the livelihood and employment of thousands of people in the vegetable and fruit growing areas in Johore, and who comprise both Chinese and Malay farmers.

For the last two decades, the vegetable and fruit farmers in Johore have used the chicken droppings imported from Singapore as the staple or basic manure for their cultivation. The vegetable farmers found from experience that the chicken droppings manure is superior to the chemical fertilizers for two chief reasons: Continue reading Agricultural crisis in Johore – lift government ban immediately