Category: Defence

Sugar-coated election budget

(Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary- General and MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday, 27th Oct. 1981 on the 1982 Budget)

1982 Budget- a sugar-coated election budget which gives away $167 million in reduced taxes on consumer items in return for a blank cheque to spend $80.95 million nest year

The 1982 budget is clearly an election budget- sugar-coated to win votes in the next general elections expected early next year. Those who have doubts about the general elections being held next year need doubt no more with such a budget, especially with the way fears of the people were created and manipulated that there would be a tough budget, followed by the relief of a soft budget. Continue reading Sugar-coated election budget

Call on Prime Minister, Datuk Hussein Onn, to convene an emergency Parliament meeting on the unending influx of Vietnamese refugees/illegal immigrants

Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, when declaring open the First DAP Selangor State Annual Convention held at Transport Workers’ Union Hall on Sunday, 8th July 1979 at 10 a.m.

Call on Prime Minister, Datuk Hussein Onn, to convene an emergency Parliament meeting on the unending influx of Vietnamese refugees/illegal immigrants before the International Conference on the Indo-Chinese Refugees in Geneva on July 20 and July 21.

The world community has too long allowed Vietnam to get away with its barbaric and uncivilized policy of extorting blood money and exporting refugees, conducting with impunity a blatant policy of racism and genocide, which should have goaded the international community into drastic action against the Vietnamese regime, both in the United Nations and outside. Continue reading Call on Prime Minister, Datuk Hussein Onn, to convene an emergency Parliament meeting on the unending influx of Vietnamese refugees/illegal immigrants

Review of the award of a $200,000,000 contract for the purchase of FOUR FAST STRIKE MISSILE CRAFT

Opposition Leader writes to Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Datuk Hussein Onn asking for a review of the $200000000 award for the purchase of four FAST STRIKE MISSILE CRAFT for the Royal Malaysian Navy to ensure that only proven and suitable vessels are ordered

I have to-day written to the Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Datuk Hussein Onn, asking for a review of the award of a $200,000,000 contract for the purchase of FOUR FAST STRIKE MISSILE CRAFT. My letter reads:

“YAB Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Pertahanan, Continue reading Review of the award of a $200,000,000 contract for the purchase of FOUR FAST STRIKE MISSILE CRAFT

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

DAP Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, will ask the following questions when Parliament meets on Monday

DAP Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, will ask the following questions when Parliament meets on Monday.

1. To ask the Prime Minister to report whether there had been any progress in the last three months towards the normalization of relationship between Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China; and whether the Malaysian Government is considering calling an ASEAN meeting to propose an ASEAN initiative to normalise relationship between the People’s Republic of China and the ASEAN nations in view of Premier Tanaka of Japan’s visit to Peking which has further opened up new possibilities in international relations in the world, and particularly in South East Asia. Continue reading DAP Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, will ask the following questions when Parliament meets on Monday

Answer to the question Lim Kit Siang asked at the recent session of Parliament

DAP Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, has received written answers to the following questions which he asked at the recent session of Parliament:

Question (1): To ask the Minister of Defence
(i) when will work begin on the building of the Lumut naval base;
(ii) what steps are being taken to ensure fair and equitable compensation to the squatters and landowners who will be affected by the government acquisition of the land for the Lumut base project; and
(iii) whether the Government is aware of the reservations among the people of Sitiawan about the sitting of the naval base in Lumut, and whether he would give the people of Lumut an ample opportunity to give their views on the matter. Continue reading Answer to the question Lim Kit Siang asked at the recent session of Parliament

Question by Lim Kit Siang: To ask the Minister of Defence to give the following particulars with regard to the ammunition factory in Batu Arang

The DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at yesterday’s Parliament session in the Dewan Rakyat, asked the Minister of Defence the following question:

Question by Lim Kit Siang: To ask the Minister of Defence to give the following particulars with regard to the ammunition factory in Batu Arang:

(i) the percentage of foreign participation in the project giving the names of the country participating; Continue reading Question by Lim Kit Siang: To ask the Minister of Defence to give the following particulars with regard to the ammunition factory in Batu Arang

Reply to Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen

Statement by DAP Member f Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr.Lim Kit Siang, at a press conference in Malacca on Saturday, 24th July 1971.

Reply to Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen

The Assistant Minister of Defence, Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen bin Tengku Ismail, said in Parliament two days ago that the DAP had questioned the Five-Power Defence Agreement without giving any constructive views.

Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen has only himself to blame for this, for if he has been more patient, he would have heard my proposals about the proper defence strategy and structure for Malaysia. Unfortunately, he and his government front-bench colleagues would not allow me to do so. Continue reading Reply to Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen

DAP calls for Defence White Paper

The DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today issued the following statement(26/2/69) :

The Australian and New Zealand decision to maintain their forces in Malaysia and Singapore despite the British defence withdrawal in 1971 will give Malaysia and Singapore more breathing space to develop stronger defence mechanisms of their own.

We must never forget that although the Australian and New Zealand governments have now decided to continue to participate in the collective defence arrangements after 1971, there is nothing to prevent this decision from being reversed at a later date, if Australians and New Zealanders decide that this is to their own best interest in changed circumstances.

Malaysia should make full use of this breathing space to do basic thinking and planning about her defence problems and needs.

Since the British announcement that she was withdrawing militarily from South East Asia, the Australian, New Zealand and Singapore governments have got down to fundamental reappraised and thinking about their defence requirements. But not Malaysia, which is drifting from day to day, without any overall defence policy. Continue reading DAP calls for Defence White Paper

Call to Malaysianise the armed forces

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a general meeting of members and supporters at the Sentul DAP Branch, Kuala Lumpur, on Wednesday, January 29, 1969 at 8 p.m.

In the last week, Mirages and Lightnings have dominated the newspaper headlines.

But Malaysia can have all the Mirages and Lightnings in the world, and yet not survive either an internal revolt or an external attack, if the people of Malaysia do not have the will, capacity and resolution to unite, defend and even die for this nation of ours.

Some time ago, the Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, supported by his Deputy and Defence Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, declared that the government would not resist invasion or aggression by a nation which is ten times the size of Malaysia – which includes china, India and Indonesia.

Without any will and resolution to defend and die for the nation, all the Mirages and Lightnings, and all the defence hardwares which the Alliance will buy will be useless, apart from their hollow prestige value.

Such a defence philosophy of submission is also unlikely to encourage other countries to enter into a regional collective defence pact for the defence and security of this region, including Malaysia. Continue reading Call to Malaysianise the armed forces