Author: Curator

Crisis in the Rubber Industry

Talk by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr.Lim Kit Siang, to the Slim River DAP Branch on Saturday,18th May 1968 at 5 p.m.

For over a year, there has been a crisis in the rubber industry.

When rubber price dropped to a 19-year-old low of 47 cents on September 13 last year, the government went into a frenzy of activities and won a lot of publicity by announcing its intervention in the rubber market until “a fair price” was obtained.

One assumed that the fair price the government had in mind then was fifty-five cents.

However, despite the reported sum of $10 million which had been allocated to the Government Rubber Trading Trust Account to stockpile rubber, the price of rubber had averaged below 50 cents since. Continue reading Crisis in the Rubber Industry

Will Malaysia and Singapore merge once again?

Talk by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr Lim Kit Siang, to the Bungsar DAP Branch on Friday, 17th May 1968 at 8.30 p.m.

It took Malaya and Singapore fifteen years to merge the first time they were separated by the British colonialists in 1948.

But the merger, which took place under the Malaysian Federation on September 16, 1963, did not last two years. A second separation took place on August 9, 1965.

Will Malaysia and Singapore merge once again? Continue reading Will Malaysia and Singapore merge once again?

Strike by Tappers & Workers in Johore

Strike by 1,700 tappers and workers in Johore Labis Estate, Cha’ah

A major strike began in Cha’ah Johore,yesterday involving 1,700 tappers and workers of the Socfin-owned Johore Labis Estate and its oil palm and rubber processing factory.

It all began over a dispute over two months ago when a Socfin sub-contractor, Mr.Sim Kim Chong, unilaterally stopped the ten-year-old practice of providing transport for the tappers to and from their places of work.

There are a number of disquieting features about the dispute :

Firstly, why was a dispute over the unilateral cessation of free transport to tappers allowed to escalate into a major strike involving 1,700 workers and tappers? Continue reading Strike by Tappers & Workers in Johore

Merdeka University

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, to the Batu Pahat DAP Branch on Sunday, 12th May 1968 at 8 p.m.

Is the proposed Merdeka University a “communal” project?

Yes, says the Alliance and the MCA.

Let us examine closely this delicate issue, which, if badly handled, can create a fund of ill-will, suspicion, animosity and even hatred among the races, delaying, if not destroying, the process of Malaysian integration.

One easy way to find out whether a project is “communal” is to ascertain whether it is confined exclusively to members of one race, with the purpose of serving the interest of one race only.

Many examples fit into this definition the Malaysian Chinese Association, the United Malays National Organisation, the Malaysian Indian Congress and Malay Regiment. They are all confined to members of one race only. Continue reading Merdeka University

The Malaysian Malaysia

Talk by Dap Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the establishment of the DAP Protem Committee in Kahang (12 miles from Kluang) Johore on Sunday, May 12 at 11 a.m.

The DAP was formed to make every citizen of this country proud to be a Malaysian.

The way to instill national pride among the citizens is not through a policy of racial discrimination or economic and social injustice, or by dividing the people into bumiputeras and non-bumiputeras. It is by giving equality of rights to all Malaysians, whether in economic activity, job opportunity, education, language or culture.

If the nation we are building in Malaysia is to become a Malay, Chinese or Indian nation, then the majority of the citizens will not be proud to be Malaysians.

Only a Malaysian Malaysia, where there is multi-racialism, multi-cultural tolerance, social and economic justice, can instill national pride and the sense of national belonging into the citizens of this country. Continue reading The Malaysian Malaysia

Democracy in Malaysia

Talk by the DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, to the Pantai DAP Branch on Tuesday, 7th May 1968 at 8.30 p.m.

Democracy in Malaysia

In a multi-racial nation like Malaysia, democracy is the only system of government which can unite the various races into one people and forge for them a common purpose and destiny.

Any form of totalitarian or military government, which must necessarily mean the predominance of one racial group over the others, will generate racial tension and conflicts, leading to national disintegration.

However, the democratic spirit and the democratic way of life must be actively and consciously fostered and nurtured if it is not to wither away and die. This is the responsibility of both the government and the governed. Continue reading Democracy in Malaysia

Abolition of inequalities and exploitation

Talk by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, to the supporters and members of the protem committee of the DAP Branch, Cheras Road, 11 milestone on Friday, 26th April at 8.30 p.m.

The DAP is dedicated to the abolition of inequalities and exploitation of all forms in Malaysia.

The Alliance boasts that there is freedom in Malaysia. Their leaders never explain the nature of freedom available in Malaysia.

There is the freedom for the rich to grow richer and poor to get poorer. There is the freedom for the employer to victimise workers and crush unions and the freedom for workers to be victimized and unions to be crushed. There is the freedom for feudalist landlords to fleece the farmers and the freedom for the farmers to be fleeced. There is the freedom for children of the wealthy to get education and the freedom of the poor to be uneducated. Continue reading Abolition of inequalities and exploitation

The Merdeka University

Talk by Organising Secretary of DAP, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, to the Sungei Besi DAP Branch on Tuesday, 23rd April 1968 at 8.30 p.m.

The Merdeka University

The Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Finance Minister, Tun Tan Siew Sin, and the Minister of Local Government and Housing, Inche Khaw Khai Boh, have condemned the proposed Merdeka University as a “chauvinistic and communalistic” project.

It is necessary, therefore, to take a closer look at the project.

Convenors of the Merdeka University have make it very clear that entries to the University would not be confined to students of one race, nor would the medium of instruction be confined to one language, but would embrace Chinese, Malay and English. Continue reading The Merdeka University

Election-itis hits Malaysia

Talk by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, to the Serdang Bahru DAP Branch on Thursday, 18 April 1968 at 8 p.m.

Election-itis hits Malaysia

A new disease, election-itis, has hit Malaysia. This is a disease which occurs once in five years, with the approach of the general elections.

As the general elections draws near, more and more people will be bitten by the election bug, and work themselves into a fit of election fever and frenzy.

In the last few weeks, many ex-politicians, who had been active and even contested in elections five years ago, but had disappeared from the political scene in the last five years, have begun popping up in various parts of the country. Continue reading Election-itis hits Malaysia

Role of Opposition Party

The Democratic Action Party will play the role of an intelligent, constructive and creative opposition to the Alliance.

The DAP rejects the argument that the role of an opposition party is merely to oppose.

Although the Alliance has made the word “yes” into a test of party loyalty and political reliability for its members, the DAP will never make the word “no” into a party philosophy.
This was stated by the Organising Secretary of the DAP, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, when he spoke at the Sentul DAP Branch this evening.

Mr. Lim said the DAP will not be niggardly in its praise of the Alliance government where credit is due, nor will it shirk from castigating, condemning or exposing the dishonesty, insincerity or hypocrisy of the Alliance regime.

He went on: “Every Alliance measure or proposal, however progressive or enlightened it may appear on the surface, must be subject to the closest scrutiny. Continue reading Role of Opposition Party