Category: Nation Building

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

Three proposals for building a united Malaysian nation

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Public Rally in Kluang, on Sunday, 19th January 1969 at 8p.m.

One of the greatest divisive forces working against the building of a united Malaysian nation is the Alliance’s policy of bumiputraism-dividing Malaysians into ‘bumiputras’ and ‘non-bumiputras’, with connotations of first-class citizenship for the former and second-class citizenship for the latter.

Such a pernicious division not based on loyalty or birthplace but strictly on the question of race. Dr. Chen Man Hin was born in Seremban and D.R. Seenivasagam was born in Ipoh, but they are ‘non-bumiputras.’ But Syed Jaffar Albar was born in Celebes in Indonesia and Syed Hussein Al-Attas was born in Bogor in Indonesia, but they are bumiputras.

In schools already, students know that they are classified into ‘bumiputras’ and ‘non-bumiputras’, and they resent it because they know it denotes inequality, injustice and discrimination.

In other words, a whole new generation is growing up feeling aggrieved at being classified as ‘second class’ citizens, denied as ‘sons of the soil’, although they are born, bred and educated here, and are even prepared to die for the country. Continue reading Three proposals for building a united Malaysian nation

Repudiate racialist policies of the Alliance

Speech by DAP Serdang State by-election candidate, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, and DAP Organising Secretary, at a DAP Serdang by-election rally at Kuchai 6m.s. on Monday, December 23, 1968 at 8 p.m.

On 8th December, at a public rally at Sungei Way, I asked the Alliance candidate Mr. Thuan Phaik Fook, ten questions on language, education and culture.

It is already more than two weeks, but Mr. Thuan has not replied to my ten questions. We know the reason why. It is for the following reasons:

1. Mr. Thuan and the MCA oppose Chinese, Tamil and English as official languages, freely usable in the Parliament, State Assemblies, government correspondence and public notices.

2. They reject the DAP argument that Chinese is a Malaysian language, by virtue of the fact that it is used by large number of Malaysians, and must be promoted and allowed free development. Continue reading Repudiate racialist policies of the Alliance

Serdang by-election a test for the cause of multi-racialism

The DAP Organising Secretary and DAP Candidate for the Serdang State by-election (Selangor), Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today (28.11.68) issued the following statement after Nomination:

The Serdang State by-election is a test for the cause of multi-racialism and a Malaysian Malaysia.

Since independence, the forces of racialism and cultural and language chauvinism, as represented by the Alliance, and lately by the Gerakan as enunciated by its cultural expert, Dr. Syed Naguib Alatas, have dominated Malaysian political life.

This is why with every passing year, there is growing national division – because the various races, cultures and languages do not feel that they have a equal stake in a Malaysian nation, where there is no economic and political equality, cultural and language liberty, and social justice.

The Penang racial riots last year could be traced directly to this growing national mood of alienation among Malaysians.

All Malaysians who believe in the cause of a multi-racial Malaysia, and reject a communal and chauvinist Malaysia based on one language, one culture, must unite now to turn the tide of growing racialism. If we don’t act resolutely now, and defeat the forces of racialism in the constitutional and democratic arena, it may be too late. Continue reading Serdang by-election a test for the cause of multi-racialism

DAP-Gerakan Cultural Debate (Speech)

REF: LKS/16/11/68

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the DAP-Gerakan cultural debate at the MARA Auditorium on Sunday, November 24, 1968 at 10 a.m.

Mr. Chairman and fellow Malaysians.

We gather here today to debate and discuss the DAP and Gerakan cultural policy, so as to ascertain whose policy is more relevant and suitable to Malaysia.

I submit that what we are debating and discussing today is one of the most vital problems facing Malaysia, because on it will depend the success or failure of the Malaysian experiment in multi-racial nationhood. Continue reading DAP-Gerakan Cultural Debate (Speech)

The debate with Dr. Naguib Alatas

Press Statement by DAP Organising Secretary, Lim Kit Siang, on 12.11.68:

The press has asked me for comments on Dr. Naguib Alatas’ statement today concerning the debate.

When I accepted Dr. Naguib Alatas’ open challenge to me to a debate with him on Gerakan’s cultural policy, I said I was prepared to do it ‘any time, any place and anywhere.’

I had suggested that the debate should be at the Chinese Assembly Hall, because it had three times the seating capacity as the MARA Auditorium, which could take in less than 500 people. I had felt sure that Dr. Naguib Alatas, with his great store of learning, would want more people to hear his words of wisdom and culture.

As Dr. Naguib Alatas insists on the MARA Auditorium, I am perfectly agreeable. It is rather childish for him to make charges like I am trying to run away from the debate. Continue reading The debate with Dr. Naguib Alatas

DAP Replies to Inche Khir Johari

The DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today (11.11.68) issued the following statement:

The UMNO Secretary-General, Inche Khir Johari, has indulged in his usual past-time of mud-slinging the opposition party. He said yesterday that DAP’s ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ slogan was dangerous, but added that it was ‘nothing new’ as the Alliance had been working on the concept.

What Inche Khir meant is that the DAP’s Malaysian Malaysia campaign was dangerous to the Alliance Party and its election chances, as the majority of thinking Malaysians support the concept.

In a multi-racial society like ours, only a policy which gives to every citizen, regardless of his race, religion or language, an equal stake in the future of this country can succeed in uniting the diverse peoples into one nationhood. This, in short, is the meaning and objective of a Malaysian Malaysia.

Inche Khir even claims that the Alliance is working gradually for a ‘Malaysian Malaysia.’ Continue reading DAP Replies to Inche Khir Johari

Lim Kit Siang replies to Dr. Syed Naguib Alatas

The DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today issued the following statement (1.11.68):

At the Gerakan public rally in Seremban last Saturday, Dr. Syed Naguib Alatas said he did not understand the meaning of ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ as advocated by the DAP.

This is a real surprise. If it is true that Dr. Syed Naguib Alatas does not understand the meaning of ‘Malaysian Malaysia’, then the learned doctor needs more political education than I thought.

I suggest Dr. Syed Naguib Alatas ask his present Gerakan colleague, Dr. Lim Chong Eu, as to the meaning of ‘Malaysian Malaysia’, as Dr. Lim Chong Eu was once, with his now defunct-United Democratic Party, in the Malaysian Solidarity Convention in 1965 which launched the ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ campaign.

If Dr. Lim Chong Eu is unable to enlighten Dr. Syed Naguib Alatas, I am prepared to explain the meaning of ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ to him at any public forum he cares to arrange. Continue reading Lim Kit Siang replies to Dr. Syed Naguib Alatas

( i ) Professor Ungku Aziz’s plan to establish University of Malaya into a research centre on Malaysian affairs hailed; ( ii ) University of Malaya urged to commission study on the problem of race in Malaysia

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, to the Selangor DAP State Committee at Kuala Lumpur DAP Branch, 63-D Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, October 27, 1968 at 10 a.m.

The announcement by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Malaya, Professor Ungku Aziz, two days ago to establish the University of Malaya as a centre of information and research on Malaysian affairs is welcomed and applauded by all thinking Malaysians.

Equally to be hailed is Professor Ungku Aziz’s confidence that the University could contribute to the increase of communal understanding by research and study on underlying problems and by avoiding communalistically-orientated behavior.

Under Professor Ungku Aziz’s guidance and leadership, we hope the University of Malaya will emerge out of its ivory tower and closely relate itself to the problems, struggles and aspirations of the people and country.

We have more than once called for a high-level commission of inquiry to look into the entire problem of race in Malaysia, to consider the social, educational, economic, cultural and political aspects of the problem, so as to understand and solve the race problem. Continue reading ( i ) Professor Ungku Aziz’s plan to establish University of Malaya into a research centre on Malaysian affairs hailed; ( ii ) University of Malaya urged to commission study on the problem of race in Malaysia

Dubbing television films

Speech by Editor of Rocket, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, and DAP Organising Secretary, at the Rocket Second Anniversary Celebrations at Lee Wong Kee Café on Wednesday, August 14 at 5 p.m.

Recently, the government dubbed the popular television series, the Samurai, from English to Malay.

The Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Inche Senu bin Abdul Rahman, subsequently announced that the experiment was a great success, and that other popular series were being dubbed as well. The next in line are ‘The Man from UNCLE’, ‘The Champions’ and ‘The Thriller’. Continue reading Dubbing television films