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I assure Malaysians that although I have been
booted out of Parliament for the first time in 30 years, I will not lose heart
and give up my fight for
justice, freedom, democracy and good governance Media Conference Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Parliament, Tuesday): I have come to Parliament to make a farewell call on the Speaker, Tun Mohamed Zahir Ismail after being a Member of Parliament for 30 years for seven terms 1969 - 1999 and Parliamentary Opposition Leader for 25 years, 1973-1974 and 1975-1999. I thanked Tun Zahir for all the guidance and help
he had given me during his four terms as Speaker of Parliament.
I am very touched by the avalanche of emails,
faxes, letters and phone calls, by Malaysians regardless of race, religion,
gender or age (ranging from 12 to 68 years),
inside and outside the country, who expressed support and encouragement to me to keep on the fight for justice, freedom, democracy and good governance. This is from one Penangite:
"Just would like to thank
you and let you know that you are hugely appreciated for everything you have
done all these
years. You have done a great job! Despite the turnout of the election, do always remember that there are plenty of Penangites who support you totally and are proud of everything you have done for us. We will support whatever decision you decide to undertake in the future. Thank you again, LS, Penang’. Another email from Lim, KC addressed to Karpal and
me, said:
"Please leave Penang for
good. Come down to KL where the people are more educated to fight on important
issues of
corruption, collusion & cronyism - federal issues not the state/small issues of narrow roads and things like that. "Malaysia still need both
of you who can and dare to speak up for the silent masses. The days if two of
you leave the
political scene without proper replacements will be the Black Days for DAP and the country! "Give another try but this
time in Kuala Lumpur - win or lose, you may retire knowing that you have
completed your
national service - people will appreciate." One Azmi Aman in his email said:
"Saya adalah salah seorang
daripada beribu pendokong dan penyokong gerakan reformasi di tanah air tercinta.
Saya cuma
ingin, melahirkan kekesalan di atas kegagalan DAP di dalam pilihanraya yang baru berlalu. Pun begitu lebih kesal saya kira adalah kerana perletakan jawatan pimpinan tertinggi DAP yang diketuai oleh Saudara Pengerusi Chen Man Hin dan setiausaha agung DAP saudara Lim Kit Siang. DAP tidak kalah. Sebaliknya DAP telah menang 100% dimata pejuang reformasi. Ini kerana imej DAP kini lebih tampak jelas dengan DAP berada di dalam gabungan BA. Saudara Lim, dan saudara Karpal Singh adalah hero baru dikalangan orang melayu muda. Oleh itu mengapa mahu beralah?" Yesterday, I received the following letter from the
President of National Human Rights Society (HAKAM), Ramdas Tikamdas, who
wrote:
"6th December 1999
Dear Mr. Lim Kit Siang, We are deeply saddened by
the recent turn of events in your not being returned to Parliament as civil
society has
regrettably lost its most eloquent and fearless voice. The outcome of the 10th
general elections will prove to be a turning point in the evolution of our
system of
parliamentary democracy in more ways than one, and many Malaysians are only now slowly coming to grips with what they have wrought. The massive deluge of the
campaign of fear and divide and rule shamelessly engineered by the powers that
be through
the blitz of the mainstream and electronic media have unfortunately found their quarry - and the Chinese swing, which have shut out the halls of parliament to the leaders of the DAP and eminent persons from the civil society, could sadly slow the march of human rights, justice and the rule of law in the context of our multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural society. HAKAM would like to put on
record its tribute and appreciation to you for your selfless and fearless
long-public
service in the quest for a more just and equitable society and commitment to the principles of parliamentary democracy and good governance. We have no doubt that the
cherished ideals and principles that you have steadfastly championed through the
long years
of trials and tribulations and personal sacrifices will not be in vain and your precept and example will surely be a source of inspiration and an example for the young generation of Malaysians to emulate. We sincerely urge you to
continue to be the voice of ‘liberty and justice’ and for the ‘welfare and
happiness’ of all
Malaysians as promised in the Proclamation of Independence." I thank Ramdas Tikamdas for his kind words as well
as his invitation as guest at the HAKAM book launch on "Human Rights and the
National Commission" in
conjunction with the International Human Rights Day on Saturday 11th December 1999, which unfortuanately I could not attend as I have another pre-arranged function in the Bukit Bendera constituency. I assure Malaysians that although I have been booted out of Parliament for the first time in 30 years, I will not lose heart and give up my fight for justice, freedom, democracy and good governance. My only regret is that I failed to convince the
voters of Bukit Bendera/Kebun Bunga to be in the forefront of the movement to
bring about a paradigm shift in
Malaysian politics in the new millennium. If the Chinese had not succumbed to the
MCA/Gerakan’s politics of fear and falsehoods in making them believe that a vote
for DAP is a vote for PAS and an
Islamic State - and Gerakan/MCA campaigners even went to the extent of frightening the voters of Bukit Bendera that if I am elected, the Chinese cannot eat pork, take alcohol, go to temples and beautiful women cannot find jobs - the opposition benches in Parliament would be filled by not only a stronger PAS, but also a stronger DAP, a stronger Keadilan and with MPs from PRM - laying the basis for a new Malaysian politics less dominated by race and religion but by issues of justice, freedom, democracy and good governance. This is because the Barisan Nasional would then
have to respond to the political challenge of a multi-ethnic and
multi-religious opposition front instead of at present,
where the sole concern of UMNO for the next five years is how to beat off the political challenge of PAS by a spiral of Islamisation policies - without having to bother about the political challenge from DAP. Gerakan and MCA had successfully smeared me as an
advocate and champion of PAS and an Islamic state in the recent general
election, when I had never swerved
from the DAP’s founding principle that Malaysia shall remain forever a democratic secular state. I have no regrets over my defeat in Bukit Bendera
if this can help the people in Penang and Malaysia to see through
the irresponsible politics of fear and falsehoods
of MCA and Gerakan and realise that a vote for DAP cannot be a vote for PAS and an Islamic State where there can be no pork, no alcohol, no temples and no jobs for beautiful women. In fact, in the past three decades, the DAP was the
only political party in Malaysia which stood up courageously and
unequivocally for a democratic secular
Malaysia, for which I was detained twice under the Internal Security Act and other DAP leaders also lost their personal liberties for the same cause. I am prepared to pay this costly political price of
being thrown out of Parliament for the first time in three decades if it can
once and for all liberate Malaysians from
the irresponsible campaign of lies and fear of the Gerakan and MCA. Malaysia faces an uncertain and perilous future as
a result of the marginalisation of the DAP in Parliament and in Malaysian
politics after the Nov. 29, 1999 polls -
thanks to the campaign of fear and falsehoods of the Gerakan and MCA. Malaysians have not only lost a golden political
opportunity to smash the Barisan Nasional political hegemony by denying its
two-thirds parliamentary majority, but
set the nation on a very uncertain and perilous future with the marginalisation of DAP in Parliament and Malaysian politics. By conducting the dirtiest general election in the
nation’s history, starting with the disenfranchisement of 680,000 new voters,
the Barisan Nasional had robbed
Malaysians of the historic opportunity for a political and nation-building breakthrough. I see three immediate dangers.
The historic electoral setback for UMNO in the 1999
general election and the emergence of PAS as the dominant Opposition in
Parliament with 27 seats and a very
marginalised DAP with ten seats is that Parliament in the next five years will principally become the battleground between UMNO and PAS for the hearts and minds of the Malays in the Malay heartland, resulting in a spiral of Islamisation policies - threatening not only a democratic secular Malaysia but even Vision 2020 and the concept of Bangsa Malaysia. The marginalisation of the DAP in Parliament
and UMNO’s primary concern in the next five years to respond to PAS’ political
challenge by a spiral of Islamisation
policies will scare away foreign investors as foreign investments and funds are not going to rush into the country to power Malaysia’s economic recovery and prosperity if there is going to be a spiral of Islamisation policies in the next five years. The failure to smash the Barisan Nasional political
hegemony and two-thirds parliamentary majority will lead to a more arbitrary,
high-handed and undemocratic rule
in the next five years where there would be even less accountability, transparency, democracy and respect for human rights. Two incidents after the Nov. 30, 1999 general
election illustrate the danger of this trend: the first is the
announcement by Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu
that the East Coast Highway would end in Pahang because of the PAS capture of the Terengganu state government. The second is the disturbing fact that more than a
week after the polls, Mahathir had not been sworn in as Prime Minister by the
Yang di Pertuan Agong. Mahathir
can only start forming his Cabinet after he had been sworn in as Prime Minister - but he is now turning the process upside down. This was what Mahathir did when he sacked Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister on Sept. 2, 1998. The dismissal of Anwar as a Minister should, under the Constitution, be made by the Yang di Pertuan Agong but Mahathir sacked Anwar in a letter which was copied to the Yang di Pertuan Agong. There are those who would say that these are just
constitutional or legal niceties as the real power is now in the hands of
Mahathir as Prime Minister but I see the
latest incident as ominous signs that the next five years could see Malaysian democracy slip from its present half-light to an even darker period. I do not rule out the most unprecedented assaults
of what is left of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in the next few
years which might make the Operation
Lalang mass arrests 1987-1988 mere child’s play. With the Barisan Nasional returned with its
parliamentary two-thirds majority although deprived of two-thirds of the
national votes cast ( BN secured only 53.38 per
cent of the parliamentary votes), the greatest onus is on the Barisan Nasional not to continue to abuse its political hegemony or to spurn the aspirations of Malaysians for justice, freedom, democracy and good governance. In his fifth and final term as Prime Minister,
Mahathir should leave a legacy which all future generations of Malaysians can be
proud - not in having the tallest building
in the world, the highest flag-post in the world, the world’s most grandiose Prime Minister’s office and residence, but in building a vibrant civil society, with sustainable economic growth and prosperity where all Malaysians enjoy the attributes of a civilized society, namely justice, freedom and good governance. For a start, let Barisan Nasional make two
solemn commitments, that it would not turn Parliament into a battleground
with PAS in the next five years to win back
the Malay heartland in a spiral of Islamisation policies and that it would not make Parliament the rubber-stamp for greater repression of human rights and democracy in Malaysia. The Barisan Nasional should carry out its
solemn commitment to promote democracy and human rights by immediately
establishing the National Commission of
Human Rights, constituted by Malaysians of indisputable credibility and authority on human rights, and whose first task is to conduct a full-scale inquiry into the human right violations in the tenth general election to ensure that there could be no recurrence of such dirtiest election in the nation’s history. I hope the millennium Parliament can see the
restoration of its role as the highest political forum in the country for the
institutionalisation of justice, freedom,
democracy and good governance in Malaysia. (7/12/99)
*Lim Kit Siang - DAP National Chairman
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