Category: Economy

Second Malaysia plan must play emphasis on job creation

SECOND MALAYSIA PLAN MUST LAY EMPHASIS ON JOB CREATION

As the Government is poised to launch the Second Malaysia five-year Plan, we in DAP cannot but feel concerned as to how this second five-year plan is to be formulated and where its emphasis lies.

As pointed out by our Deputy Secretary-General, Mr. Fan Yew Teng, it is only logical that before we decide to embark on the second five-year plan, we should examine the first plan to find out our shortcomings so that we can learn from our past mistakes.

For all that we know, the first five-year plan (1966-70) was a dismal failure in terms of job creation. It will be recalled that the first Malaysia Plan set a target of creating 92,500 jobs a year to reduce unemployment from 6 per cent to 5.2 percent of the labour. Continue reading Second Malaysia plan must play emphasis on job creation

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the Great Economic Debates, 1968 series on “What are the obstacles that impede the growth of greater national cohesion among Malaysians” organised by the University of Malaya Economics Society on Tuesday, 26th November 1968 at 8 p.m.

The subject tonight is on “What are the obstacles that impede the growth of greater national cohesion among Malaysians.” But I feel the forum should more appropriately be on “What are the causes of growing national division among Malaysians.” because I do not see any greater national cohesion over the years since Merdeka.

When you come into the University from the E. P. F. way, you will be greeted by a huge hoarding board advertising the national flag and national anthem, urging the people to respect them.

If we are achieving greater national cohesion over the years, it would not have been necessary for the Alliance government to put up such hoarding, ten years after Merdeka, degrading our national symbols to the same status as advertised goods like groundnuts, beer, shoes, cigarettes, shampoo, etc.

Nor would it have been necessary ten years after Merdeka to pass a law to compel respect to the National Anthem.

In my view, the causes of growing national division among Malaysians are three. They are communalism, economic inequality and a short-sighted, incompetent and bumbling government.

Continue reading Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the Great Economic Debates, 1968 series on “What are the obstacles that impede the growth of greater national cohesion among Malaysians” organised by the University of Malaya Economics Society on Tuesday, 26th November 1968 at 8 p.m.

Call on the government to withdraw the $10 million

The Organising Secretary of the DAP, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today called on the government to withdraw the $10 million it has pledged to contribute to the MCA College, and contribute to the Merdeka University proposal instead.

In an interview with the Sin Chew Jit Poh, Mr. Lim said that it was wrong and improper for the government to make use of the public funds for a political project intended purely to win back votes for the MCA in the next elections.

Mr. Lim pointed out that none other than the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Inche Senu bin Abdul Rahman, had admitted publicly, at a meeting of UMNO in Kedah recently, that the MCA College was meant to win votes for the MCA. Continue reading Call on the government to withdraw the $10 million

Penang island, Quo Vadis?

The DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today (21.8.68) issued the following statement:

Penang island is today blanketed by a fog of anxiety, gloom and pessimism, as the islanders see no way out of the economic blind alley they find themselves in, particularly with both the State and Central Governments unsympathetic and unimpressed by the urgency and seriousness of the situation.

Over the years, trade has declined, while unemployment has soared; business has stagnated, while the cost of living has rocketed. Continue reading Penang island, Quo Vadis?

Growing unemployment and mass retrenchments in the rubber industry

Talk by DAP Organizing Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the Batu Pahat DAP Branch first anniversary dinner in Batu Pahat, Johore on Sunday, July 21 at 8 p.m.

Over the months, thousands of estate workers have lost their jobs. At present another 5,000 are facing imminent retrenchment.

The retrenchment of workers in the rubber industry has reached crisis proportion. It is deplorable that the government has failed to take concrete, vigorous and imaginative action to deal with this problem, either by reducing the scale of retrenchments of finding alternative means of livelihood for the retrenched workers. Continue reading Growing unemployment and mass retrenchments in the rubber industry

Resign call to Tun Tan Siew Sin

Talk by DAP organizing secretary Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a public meeting at the Banir Local Council Hall on Tuesday , 2nd July 1968 at 8p.m. The meeting at Banir is organised by the Tapah DAP Branch. Banir is in the Batang Padang constituency in Perak.

Alliance leaders are now getting more and more frequent in their warnings about the grave financial crisis facing Malaysia.

A month ago, the Finance Minister, Tun Tan Siew Sin, warned that Malaysia was facing the worst financial crisis since Merdeka, and that “cash was running out with time” for the country. Continue reading Resign call to Tun Tan Siew Sin

All-party financial watchdog committee

Talk by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr Lim Kit Siang, to members of the Ipoh DAP Branch on Sunday, June 16 at 10 a.m.

A fortnight ago, the Minister of Finance, Tun Tan Siew Sin, warned Malaysians to concentrate on essentials and to be “more utilitarian” as “cash is running out with the time” in Malaysia.

The person who should take most heed of this warning is none other Tun Tan Siew Sin himself. For cash ran out during Tun Tan Siew Sin’s tenure as Minister of Finance. As a result, Tun Tan introduced Malaysia into the era of deficit financing, piling up loans – a policy which mortgaged the future generations to pay for the present.

Malaysia would not today face her most serious financial crisis if Alliance leaders had the foresight and intelligence to cut out all wasteful projects ever since they came into office after Independence. Continue reading All-party financial watchdog committee

Great trials and tribulations for Malaysian workers

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr Lim Kit Siang, when inaugurating the DAP Johore Labour Bureau in Johore Bahru on Saturday, 8th June 1968 at 5 pm.

The workers of Malaysia are entering a period of great trials and tribulations. They are facing their greatest challenge and onslaught from the management in the last two decades.

There are already many ominous signs. For the past month, there had been growing and spreading labour unrest in the estates.

Between six to eight thousand rubber tappers and workers had been retrenched. Major strikes are increasing all over the country. In Johore, 1,700 tappers and workers in the Johore Labis Estate in Cha’ah had been on strike for a month. All the indications are that industrial unrest are going to increase and even spread to other sectors of the economy, rather than decrease and subside. Continue reading Great trials and tribulations for Malaysian workers

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