Author: Curator

Ten question for Koh Kim Leng

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary and Parliamentary Candidate for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the first DAP General Elections Public Rally at Malacca Padang on 8th April 1969:

We in the DAP believe in the open argument and debate so that the people can judge for themselves which candidate and political party has the best policy and programme in the interest of the people and country.

I propose to conduct the general elections campaign in Malacca in this spirit of open confrontation of ideas and minds.
As Mr. Koh Kim Leng is the Alliance candidate for Bandar Melaka, I for one, and I am sure the voters of Bandar Melaka, would like to know his stand on various public and national issues.

I wish to ask Mr. Koh Kim Leng ten questions tonight to give him an opportunity to explain his stand, and I hope he will have the courtesy and courage to answer my questions. Continue reading Ten question for Koh Kim Leng

The Maju Ward – the Chief Executioners of the ‘Grand Deception’ campaign of the MCA

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary and Parliamentary Candidate for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the first National DAP General Elections public rally at Mountbatton Road Taxi Stand, Kuala Lumpur, on 6th April 1969 at 8.30p.m.

The Alliance and the MCA have launched their ‘Grand Deception’ campaign to mislead and deceive the voters to support and vote the alliance candidates in the general elections.

Those who have been appointed the chief executioners of the ‘grand Deception’ campaign in the MCA are the so-called intellectuals of the MCA Maju Ward.

In the last one week, the two MCA Maju Ward candidates, Mr. Lew Sip Hon candidate for Bungsar, and Dr. Teh Hock Hin, candidate for Setapak, who had never been known to show the least concern for the fate of Chinese education, language and culture in Malaysia, began suddenly to show interest in the problem, and even made some sympathetic noises.

The MCA propaganda machinery virtually presented Mr. Lew Sip Hon and Dr. Teh Hock Him as the sole saviours of Chinese education, language and culture in Malaysia. Continue reading The Maju Ward – the Chief Executioners of the ‘Grand Deception’ campaign of the MCA

Contesting the Bandar Melaka seat in the General Election

Statement by DAP Organising Secretary and Parliamentary Candidate for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a press conference after Nomination on 5th April 1969

Firstly, let me explain why I am standing in Bandar Melaka and not in Damansara parliamentary constituency, as generally expected.

I personally had wanted to contest the Damansara parliamentary constituency, but the Central Executive Committee of the Party decided that I should contest Bandar Melaka. I will give two reasons:

(1) Bandar Melaka is one of the most important parliamentary constituencies in West Malaysia.The winning of the Bandar Melaka Parliamentary constituency will guarantee the DAP take-over and control of the Malacca Municipality when and if municipal elections are held, because the entire municipality Is inside the Bandar Melaka Parliamentary constituency. It is the intention of the DAP to make the Malacca Municipality the model of administration, government efficiency and dynamism, to show to the people of Malaysia what the DAP can do when it comes into power, whether municipality, state or federal level. Continue reading Contesting the Bandar Melaka seat in the General Election

The fate of 25,329 teachers

The DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today issued the following statement (29.3.1969):

The Aziz Commission Report has brought fear, uncertainty and insecurity to 25,329 teachers who have been described as unqualified and underqualified teachers and who are recommended to pass the S.C. or M.C.E. examination within three years or face dismissal.

This recommendation, if adopted and implemented, will be a great and cruel blow on Chinese school teachers.

Their ability of Chinese – school teachers to teach has nothing to do with their passing S.C. or M.C.E. examination before they could continue teaching, as it is to demand that English school teachers must pass the Chinese Senior Middle Three examination before they could be confirmed in their teaching posts.

It is an unreasonable to expect Chinese school teachers to pass the S.C or M.C.E. examination before they could continue teaching, as it is to demand that English school teachers must pass the Chinese Middle Three examination before they could be confirmed in their teaching posts. Continue reading The fate of 25,329 teachers

Call for an inquiry into police misrepresentation and distortion

The DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today issued the following statement (28.3.1969):

The DAP welcomes police assurance that there will be no restriction on the number of speakers at election rallies.
But the Federal Police statement today (Malay Mail, 28.3) cannot go unchallenged.

The statement said DAP allegations that the police had placed restriction on the number of speakers for DAP rallies was ‘unfounded’ and suggested that it was the DAP which misunderstood the police requirements.

The statement added that although the permit had space for only five names, political parties could list the extra names on a separate or continuation shoot as an annex to the permit.

But this was what the DAP had been doing all along, right from 1966, through the Serdang by-election campaign, until March 14- when we were told that we could only have five speakers for every rally. Continue reading Call for an inquiry into police misrepresentation and distortion

Conversion of English-medium schools

Letter to the Editor by DAP Organising Secretary, Lim Kit Siang, on28 March 2969:

The Editor,
Straits Times,
Balai Berita,
31 Jalan Riong,
Kuala Lumpur.

Dear Sir,

I refer to your report today on my speech at a Penang DAP public rally deploring the Alliance government’s move to convert the present English-medium schools into Malay-medium schools.

I shall be grateful if you could publish the following facts and arguments I presented at the rally on this subject, so that my speech will not be misrepresented and misunderstood.

Beginning this year, Standard Three children in English-media primary schools are taught four subject in the National Language – art and craft, physical education, local studies and singing.

Next year, Standard Four students will be taught history and geography in the National Language, and in 1971, Standard Five students will learn the science an mathematics subjects in the National Language. Continue reading Conversion of English-medium schools

Lim Kit Siang to Alliance Ministers: Stop competing among yourselves as to who go overseas more often!

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Public Rally at Pulau tikus Market, Penang on Thursday, 27th March 1969 at 9 p.m.

There is a competition among Alliance Ministers as to who travel abroad most often and stay overseas longest – at the taxpayers’ expenses!

The three Ministers who are way ahead of others in this Cabinet contest are Inche Khir Johari. Education Minister. Mr. Khaw Kai Boh, Housing Minister, and Inche Sardon bin Jubir, Transport Minister. It is no wonder that these three Ministries are in such terrible mess.

Inche Khir Johari is producing school children who, after sixe years of schooling, are hardly literate. Mr. Khaw Kai Boh build so few houses in the last five years that he had to put up huge advertisement boards throughout the country to boast about his so-called housing achievements. In the first four years of his office, Inche Khaw built 1,500 units per year –when in Singapore, the same numbers of houses are being built every month! As for Inche Sardon, his Malaysian railways is always in the red and the trains always late, while his ports are the terror and agony of all traders, because of their indescribable inefficiency, incompetence and corruption. Continue reading Lim Kit Siang to Alliance Ministers: Stop competing among yourselves as to who go overseas more often!

The ‘new champion’ of Malaysian workers – Tan Sri T.H.Tan

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the inaugural meeting of the protem committee of the Kuchai DAP Branch on 25th March 1969 at 9 p.m.

In a statement on Monday, the Secretary-General of the Alliance, Tan Sri T.H.Tan, said no party could match the record of the Alliance in service to the workers.

It must come as a shock to the workers of Malaysia to find in Tan Sri T.H.Tan the self-styled now champion of Malaysian workers.

But it is so easy to expose the Alliance for its empty profession of concern for workers’ welfare.

A recent example is the lock-out of 70-odd workers by the management of Central Printing Co. at Petaling Jaya. The management locked –out the workers because the workers united to form a union, and submitted claims for revised salaries and improved working conditions. Continue reading The ‘new champion’ of Malaysian workers – Tan Sri T.H.Tan

The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing in the Police Department

Press statement by DAP Organsing Secretary, Lim Kit Siang, on 25 March 1969:

The denial by the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Sheikh Abu Bakar, that the police had not imposed any restriction on the number of speakers who could address a rally is a good case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing in the police department.

We could furnish Sheik Ahmad seven police permits for DAP rallies which restricted to approve more than five speakers and one announcer for one rally.

The police authorities concerned with the granting of public rally permits refused to approve more than five speakers and one announcer for one rally.

In fact, on 17th March, at a DAP public rally at Suleiman Court, off Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur, the DAP had only three speakers and one announcer, although the rally went on for three and half hours from 7.30p.m. to 11p.m. this was because two speakers approved for the rally, namely Goh Hock Guan, Party Secretary- General, and myself, could not make it for the rally as we went up to Ipoh for Mr. D. R. Seenivasagam’s funeral. Other DAP leaders present at the rally were not allowed to address the rally. Continue reading The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing in the Police Department

Reservation of hawker’s sites at Jalan Petaling

The DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today issued the following statement (23.3.1969):

The Directors of Anti-Corruption Agency, Inche Harun bin Hashim, has announced the result of this investigations into the matter of the reservation of 15 best hawker’s sites at Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, during the last Chinese New Year.

Firstly, there are various inaccuracies in Inche Harun’s statement. I received a letter from Inche Nik Yusof, Selangor Chief of Anti-Corruption Agency, on Feb. 24 proposing a meeting. I telephoned Inche Nik Yusof immediately on receipt of the letter, the very same day. I was then leaving for outstation, and I said I would get in touch with him when I got back to Kuala Lumpur. I am sure Inche Nik Yusof could confirm this.

Four days later, I phoned Inche Nik Yusof proposing a meeting that very day, but Inche Nik Yusof was busy. We subsequently met on March 12.

But in his statement yesterday, Inche Harun said I got in touch with the Agency only four days after receipt of its letter, and suggested that I was trying to avoid the Agency. Why did Inche Harun resort to such misrepresentations? Has to got something to cover up? Continue reading Reservation of hawker’s sites at Jalan Petaling