Category: Nation Building

Rukunegara forum

Statement by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka at a press conference at DAP Kuala Lumpur premises 63-D Jalan Sultan on Sunday, 15th Nov. 1970 at 11 a.m.

Rukunegara forum

On 22nd Oct. 1970, I wrote to 13 political parties in Malaysia inviting them to take part in an all-party forum on “How to make the Rukunegara a more meaningful and effective instrument in the nation building process.”

Out of the 13 invitations, 6 parties have written to oppose the holding of such a forum, 3 parties have agreed to participate, and four others have not even acknowledged receipt by my invitation. Continue reading Rukunegara forum

All party forum on Rukunegara

Statement by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a tea party given by Batu Pahat DAP at Chinese Chamber of Commerce building on Thursday, 22nd Oct. 1970 at 7p.m.

All party forum on Rukunegara

I have today sent out letters to all political parties in Malaysia inviting them to take part in an all-party forum on “How to make the Rukun Negara a more meaningful and effective instrument in the nation building of a united multi-racial Malaysian nation.”

The Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, speaking as Director of Operations in a radio broadcast in Sarawak on 20th august 1969 said the national ideology would not be imposed on the nation but would be discussed by everybody before it was adopted. Continue reading All party forum on Rukunegara

Malaysia and China

Extract of speech by DAP Secretary-General and M.P. for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a welcome party given by the Klang DAP branch on Saturday, 10th Oct. 1970 at Ban Siang Ean Restaurant at 8 p.m.

Malaysia and China

At our first international conference, the DAP called on all countries in the world to admit China into the United Nations.

This was at the Socialist International Conference in Zurich, Switzerland, in October 1967, where the DAP formerly became a member of the world-wide association of democratic socialist parties. Continue reading Malaysia and China

A letter to the Chairman of DAP, Dr. Chen Man Hin- The suit on the NOC’s decision regarding consultative committee

Below is the complete text of a letter dated 27.12.69 form Comrade Lim Kit Siang , our detained Secretary-General, to our Party Chairman Dr. Chen Man Hin.
Muar Detention Camp
27.12.69
Dear Chen,

The NOC decision are re: consultative committee is negative. I must confess that I had entertained some hopes that the leaders in power are genuinely trying to lead Malaysia out of the morass of racialism, bigotry and reaction, onto the highlands of multi-racial nationhood, social justice, prosperity, in working hand-in-hand with Opposition parties and leaders.

But the decision has proved me wrong, alas. Continue reading A letter to the Chairman of DAP, Dr. Chen Man Hin- The suit on the NOC’s decision regarding consultative committee

A letter to the Chairman of DAP, Dr. Chen Man Hin- The May 13 Disturbances

Below is the complete text of a letter dated 31.12.69 form Comrade Lim Kit Siang , our detained Secretary-General, to our Party Chairman Dr. Chen Man Hin.

Dear Chen,

Today marks the end of the Sixties.

The decade which opened up with the end of the first Emergency has ended with the beginning of the Second Emergency. The decade which was ushered in by the first Parliamentary elections is now followed out by the suspension of parliamentary democracy and the solemn pronouncement that ‘democracy is dead.’ The decade which started with the boast that Malaysia was model of racial peace, goodwill and harmony closed with the shattering of the myth which mistook the absence of racial conflict for Malaysian identity and solidarity. Continue reading A letter to the Chairman of DAP, Dr. Chen Man Hin- The May 13 Disturbances

Letter (2) to the Prime Minister from Muar Detention Camp

Lim Kit Siang, M.P
c/o Detention Camp,
Muar, Malaysia.
14th August 1969

Y.T.M Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-haj
Prime Minister,
Malaysia

Dear Prime Minister,

The absence of a national dialogue in the conduct of national affairs and the formulation and implementation of national policies must be a cause of gave concern for all thinking Malaysians.

No battle for the hearts and minds of the people can be won through a diktat. Only a dialogue, a democratic and responsible debate and discussion, can ensure this.

The establishment of the Department of National Unity is a welcome indication of the government’s belated awareness of the need to take a positive approach to identify and solve the complexity of racial problems confronting Malaysia since Merdeka. Continue reading Letter (2) to the Prime Minister from Muar Detention Camp

Letter to the Prime Minister from Muar Detention Camp

Lim Kit Siang, M.P
c/o Detention Camp,
Muar, Malaysia.
5th August 1969

Y.T.M Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-haj
Prime Minister,
Malaysia

Dear Prime Minister,

I feel it my duty as a Malaysian citizen and Member of Parliament to write to you about my anxieties for the future of Malaysia.

The tragedy of May 13 disturbances has raised a big question mark as to whether Malaysia could hold together as a nation and her citizens as one people.

Close in the wake of the May 13 disturbances, the Malayan Communist Party has reactivated its armed struggle at the Malaysian-Thai border. Continue reading Letter to the Prime Minister from Muar Detention Camp

The education issue on May 10

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary and Parliamentary Candidate for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Public Rally at Ayer Salak, Bukit Rambai, on 30th April 1969:

On May 10, when the voters go to cast their votes, they will also decide whether they endorse the ‘one nation, one language’ education policy of the exponents of a Malay Malaysia, and Indonesia Malaysia or the education policy of the advocates of Malaysian Malaysia.

The Alliance, through Mr. Koh Kim Leng’s Abdul Rahman Talib Education Report of 1960, has declared unequivocally that the Alliance want to close down all Chinese, Tamil and English schools, both at primary and secondary levels, and convert them into purely Malay schools.

The Party Rakyat’s education policy is exactly the same as the Alliance’s ‘one nation, one language’ education policy. The Party Rakyat in fact fully supports Mr. Koh Kim Leng’s Abdul Rahman Talib Education Report.

In its 1969 General Elections Manifesto, the Party Rakyat declared that they want “an education system with Malay as the main medium, use Malay as a medium for as many subjects as possible, abolish the teaching of English as a subject at primary level, encourage the learning of languages of the people, provide other international and scientific languages like French, Russian, German and Chinese as subjects at secondary level.” Continue reading The education issue on May 10

National Solidarity

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Public Rally in Port Dickson on Saturday, February 9, 1969 at 6p.m.

Rallies, flag-raising ceremonies, cultural shows, film shows, competitions, dances and parties will be held for the next week on the occasion of this year’s National Solidarity Week.

The Alliance leaders think that all these outward show will be able to cement and unite the diverse races in Malaysia into one people. Are we really going to find on February 14, when the National Solidarity Week closes, a more united, purposeful and cohesive Malaysian nation than today? Only fools will think so.

We have been holding National Solidarity Weeks for six years, but they have not prevented the first major racial conflict in Penang and a ridiculous law to compel respect to the National Anthem – which is an abject confession of the utter failure of the Alliance government to create national solidarity and unity since Merdeka 12 years ago.

National solidarity weeks, rallies, exhibitions, speeches, etc. are useful only if there exists a basis for national solidarity. If such a basis does not exist, all the rallies and fanfare will be no more than a grand self-delusion and self-deception. Continue reading National Solidarity

Challenge to the Editor of the Sin Chew Jit Poh to a public debate on the DAP’s policy of multi-lingualism

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the Second Anniversary Dinner Celebration of the Seremban DAP Branch held at the Seremban Town Hall on Saturday, 1st February 1969 at 7p.m.

In the past ten days, the Sin Chew Jit Poh has written three editorials criticizing the DAP’s policy of multi-lingualism.

We would have welcomed these editorials if they had been genuine, sincere and constructive attempts to discuss the language question in Malaysia – which is one of the key issues in our country.

Unfortunately, this was not their intention. It is plain that the intention of the Sin Chew Jit Poh was to distort the DAP’s language stand and smear the DAP’s image and standing, in an attempt to mislead and deceive its readers about the true language policy of the DAP.

A good case in point is the latest editorial, which appeared in today’s issue of sin Chew Jit Poh. (February 1, 1969)

The crux of the Sin Chew Jit Poh attack is that the DAP, in the words of the editorial, “seeks to restore the colonial status of English, and is only reluctantly dragging in Malay, Chinese and Tamil languages.”

The Sin Chew Jit Poh editorial has deliberately and blatantly ignored our policy of multi-lingualism, which also seeks official language status for Chinese and Tamil. Continue reading Challenge to the Editor of the Sin Chew Jit Poh to a public debate on the DAP’s policy of multi-lingualism