Category: Nation Building

The Malaysian Dilemma

Speech by Ketua Pembangkang and DAP Secretary-General, Lim Kit Siang, at a forum on “The Role of Malaysian Chinese can play under the Third Malaysia Plan” organised by the Persatuan Mahasiswa Taiwan Normal Universiti, Selangor, at Hotel Equatorial, Kuala Lumpur, on Thursday, 12th August 1976 at 7.30 p.m.

The Malaysian Dilemma

Probably without consciously realising or intending it, the topic of your forum reflects accurately the dilemma of Malaysian Chinese, and in fact, of all non-Malay in Malaysia.

The topic in fact asks two questions which Malaysian Chinese and non-Malays have been asking themselves: Continue reading The Malaysian Dilemma

Opposition calls for establishment of a Royal commission of Inquiry into the whole question of national unity in Malaysia on the occasion of her 20th year of Indepandence.

Speech by Ketua Pembangkang and DAP Secretary-General, Lim Kit Siang, in the Dewan Rakyat in the debate on the royal Address on Wednesday, 31 March, 1976.

Opposition calls for establishment of a Royal commission of Inquiry into the whole question of national unity in Malaysia on the occasion of her 20th year of Indepandence.

I had listened to the Royal address attentively, hoping to catch a new perception on the part of the government of the basic problems confronting Malaysia and indications of new policy directions. The result has not been too encouraging. Continue reading Opposition calls for establishment of a Royal commission of Inquiry into the whole question of national unity in Malaysia on the occasion of her 20th year of Indepandence.

DAP calls on Tun Razak to direct the National Bureau on Investigations (NBI)

Speech by DAP Secretary- General and Member of Parliament for Kota Melaka, At the
2nd DAP MPs and state Assemblymen’s Seminar held at 63-D Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 10th August 1075 at 10 a.m.

DAP calls on Tun Razak to direct the National Bureau on Investigations (NBI) to investigate and act on the allegations of corruptions made by Berjaya leaders, who were for mere Sabah State Minister, about corrupt practices by the Tun Mustapha government.

“Following the rift between Tun Mustapha and the faction which has formed the Berjaya, Berjaya leaders, several of whom were Sabah State Ministers, and the president, Tun Fuad, was in fact, the Yang di-Pertua, had on several occasion made serious allegations of corruption by Tun Mistapha and his government. Continue reading DAP calls on Tun Razak to direct the National Bureau on Investigations (NBI)

Malaysian youths and youth organisations should speak up for civil rights and against social injustice in the nation

Speech by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, to the first meeting of the Second DAP National Youth Council at Petaling Jaya on Sunday, 12th May 1974 at 10.30 a.m.

Malaysian youths and youth organisations should speak up for civil rights and against social injustice in the nation

Malaysian youths and youth organisations should speak up bravely for civil rights and social justice in the country, and loudly and fearlessly oppose all acts which trample on fundamental human rights to liberty, speech, belief and assembly and all forms of social injustice which sap the nation’s capability and to become a united, harmonious and purposive society. Continue reading Malaysian youths and youth organisations should speak up for civil rights and against social injustice in the nation

DAP calls for repeal of Internal Security Act and closure of Taiping detention camp

Speech by Ketua Pembangkang and DAP Secretary-General, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a Taiping DAP Solidarity Dinner organized by the Taiping DAP Branch at Kwongtung Association, Temple Street, Taiping, on Saturday, 8th December 1973 at 7p.m.

DAP calls for repeal of Internal Security Act and closure of Taiping detention camp

Taiping, which means Great Peace, is now acquiring new identification which I am sure the people of Taiping do not relish.

This is Taiping becoming the headquarters of political detention in West Malaysia, with the closure of the Batu Gajah and Muar detention camps.

The Internal Security Act, which permits detention without trial for indefinite duration, is an Act which offends the rule of law and natural justice.

We have seen so many people detained indefinitely without good reason under the Internal Security Act that this measure can only be seen as a highly oppressive instrument to stamp out dissent and opposition.

Examples that easily come to mind are Hamid Tuah, the peasant champion, who was put behind bars for two years for his courage and conscience for championing the cause of the landless in Malaysia. Another example is the PSRM State Assemblyman from Pahang, Dzulkifli bin Ismail, whose reason for detention is equally flimsy and untenable. Continue reading DAP calls for repeal of Internal Security Act and closure of Taiping detention camp

The Objectives of the Second Malaysia Plan

Speech by DAP Secretary-General and Ketua Pembangkang, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a forum on “The Objectives of the Second Malaysia Plan” organised by the Universiti Sains Malaysia Students’ Union on Friday, 7th December 1973 at 8 p.m.

The Objectives of the Second Malaysia Plan

The Second Malaysia Plan declares that the overriding objective of the New Economic Policy is the promotion of national unity through the two-pronged strategy of:

(a) eradicating poverty by raising income levels and increasing employment opportunities for all Malaysians, regardless of race;

(b) accelerating the process of restructuring Malaysian society to correct economic imbalance, so as to reduce and eventually eliminate the identification of race with economic function.

Let us make an appraisal of both these objectives and the progress achieved so far. Continue reading The Objectives of the Second Malaysia Plan

The future of the Chinese in Malaysia

Speech by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, when officially opening the Salak N. V. DAP Branch in Sungei Siput, Perak, on Sunday, 18th November 1973 at 5 p.m.

The future of the Chinese in Malaysia

Last week, a Malaysian student from an overseas university home on vacation came to see me and said he was making a study of the future of the Chinese in Malaysia.

He said he had seen the officials of various political parties, including those who had been expelled from the MCA, and they were all very pessimistic about the future of the Chinese in Malaysia.

He asked for my views. I told him that the future of the Chinese in Malaysia depended on two factors:

1. The attitude of the Malaysian Chinese – their preparedness to fully indentify themselves with the Malaysian nation and soil, to be ready to die in the defence of Malaysia and to struggle an make sacrifices to build up the type of Malaysia we aspire for ourselves and our children where we could all be proud citizens of this country. Continue reading The future of the Chinese in Malaysia

The significance and meaning of the Kajang by-election

Speech by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the first DAP Kajang by-election public rally at Kajang town on Tuesday, 16th October 1973 at 9.30 p.m.

The significance and meaning of the Kajang by-election

Although the Kajang by-election concerns only a Selangor State Assembly seat, its significance ranges far beyond Kajang or the Selangor State Assembly.

What is at issue is not merely whether the son of an Alliance Assemblyman has the right to succeed to his late father’s seat, as if it is part of family property, but whether the Alliance record of the past 18 years, especially those of the last four years, should receive public endorsement.

This is because although the voters of Kajang will be voting as to who is to be their new State Assemblyman, they will in fact be asked to endorse the entire spectrum of Alliance political, economic, educational and cultural policies and record, especially those of the last four years.

It would be useful to review the Alliance record in the political, economic, educational and cultural fields before the Kajang voters go to the polls to pass judgement on them on November 3. Continue reading The significance and meaning of the Kajang by-election

Towards a National Culture

Speech by Ketua Pembangkang and DAP Secretary-General, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a forum organized by the Tamil Cultural Society of the University of Malaya held at Theatre of Faculty of Arts on Friday, 12th Oct. 1973 at 8 p.m.

Towards a National Culture

Malaysia is a multi-racial country where the world’s great cultures of China, India, the Malay-Polynesia, the Middle East and Europe meet in confluence and conflict.

In working towards a National Culture, we are not conducting an academic exercise but dealing with a vital aspect of the uncompleted Malaysian experiment in multi-racial nationhood.

Before we discuss what National Culture we should work for, we must get the correct principle for nation-building in a multi-racial society like Malaysia.

Firstly, there must be no idea of racial hegemony by any one community, which must be doomed to failure. Racial hegemony in a multi-racial society is certainly an undesirable principle to be adopted anywhere in the world, but in Malaysia, the very composition of our population also makes it impracticable of realization, for the good reason that in this country no single racial group can claim to enjoy an overall majority. Continue reading Towards a National Culture