(Prepared closing remarks by DAP Secretary-General/Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at the debate with MCA President Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek on “DAP & MCA: Whose Policies Benefit the Country More?” at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre on Sunday, July 8, 2012)

Since Merdeka, two million Malaysians have migrated overseas because they do not see a future for themselves and for Malaysia. It is time that we don’t live in our past that is filled with hatred and fear. We should look to the future filled with hope and harmony between all Malaysians.

 To put the past behind us, we must stop the politics of race and religion.

 To put the past behind us, we must end corruption.

 To put the past behind us, we must abolish the suppression, oppression, repression of our basic human rights and freedoms.

 To put the past behind us, we must demand good governance and performance from our ministers.

To put the past behind us, we must stop the politics of race and religion

Mengapakah kita terperangkap dalam permainan perkauman Barisan Nasional yang cuba menakutan orang Melayu bahawa mereka akan kehilangan hak mereka dan jawatan Perdana Menteri. Selagi kita mendukung Perlembagaan Persekutuan, hak Melayu dan bumiputera terjamin bersama-sama dengan hak sahih orang bukan Melayu. Sekiranya Pakatan Rakyat menang, calon yang paling layak akan menjadi Perdana Menteri, iaitu Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Jangan kita biarkan Barisan Nasional terus memperalatkan isu perkauman anti-bukan-Melayu hanya untuk mengekalkan kuasa. Adakah ini menguntungkan rakyat apabila BN tak mahu jawab mana pergi RM52 bilion saham yang sepatutnya diberikan kepada orang Melayu dan bumiputera miskin. Kita mesti faham bukan semua orang Cina yang kaya. Sama juga, bukan semua orang Melayu yang miskin. Ada ramai orang Melayu yang kaya macam Tan Sri Syed Mohktar dan Pengerusi Eksekutif SYABAS Tan Sri Rozali Ismail. Mengapa minta rakyat Malaysia berbangsa Cina balik China tetapi tak tanya sama menteri Cina yang pernah pohon PR Australia.

Barisan Nasional akan menggunakan perkauman untuk menakutkan kita kerana mereka sudah tiada isu lagi. Jangan kita menakutkan diri sendiri dan terus menyokong sebuah kerajaan yg bersifat kroni & rasuah. Hanya dengan perubahan kepada ketuanan rakyat dan bukan ketuanan UMNO barulah kita boleh bebaskan diri daripada rasuah dan hidup bermaruah.

To attain peace Malaysians must stand united and reject those who wish to divide us by preaching racial and religious hatred. If we want to benefit from equal opportunities and realize our human potential we must stop extremists from continually degrading others as inferiors so as to uplift ourselves. Why should Allah not be allowed to be used in the Bible when it is used in the Middle East?

We can only achieve harmony together. Despite our differences and diversity, Malaysians can make our common aspirations of freedom, justice, democracy and truth come true if we remember key values.

That it is not who we are that is important, but what we are that is important; not the colour of our skin that is important but the content of our character; and not our past ancestry that is important but how we connect with the present and with each other to face the future.

We can only be prosperous together. The time has come to focus on the economy, in employment, education and business opportunities as the conditions for prosperity. We must build human talent and be performance-based.

For those who say that PR do not know how to govern, the 4 PR states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan have proven our ability by beating the other 10 BN states by attracting RM25 billion in investments comprising 53% of Malaysia’s total investments of RM47.2 billion in 2010. For the first time in history, Penang is now the new champion of investments in Malaysia, coming out top in 2010 with RM 12.2 billion.

To put the past behind us, we must end corruption

Tentang rasuah berapa banyak wang lagi yg kita nak hilang. Seorang penternak lembu yang daripada muda sehingga tua tak boleh dapat pinjaman berjuta-juta ringgit. Tetapi seorang keluarga menteri sungguhpun tak ada pengalaman menternak seekor lembu pun boleh mendapat 250 juta ringgit. Tapi wang digunakan untuk membeli kondo pula. Bukan sahaja pemimpin-pemimpin kita jadi orang terkenal, tetapi lembu kita pun terkenal. Tengoklah skandal-skandal lembu & kondo. Sampai negara Singapura yg banyak kondominium pun nak belajar macam mana boleh menternak lembu dalam kondominium.

Mengapakah dalam skandal Forex Bank Negara pada tahun 90an apabila Malaysia rugi lebih 15 bilion ringgit orang yg bertanggungjawab tidak dihukum tetapi sekarang dilantik menjadi menteri dalam Pejabat Perdana Menteri?

Bilakah kita nak hentikan kerugian wang ini lagi? Adakah 100 billion tak cukup? Kita nak 12 billion lagi. Jangan lupa 1 ribu billion ringgit wang haram sudah mengalir keluar dari negara. Janganlah biarkan wang negara terus disia-siakan, kita mesti berani membuat perubahan yg boleh menjaminkan kehidupan anak-anak kita.

Barisan Nasional cannot reform to end corruption. Remember, if we do not end corruption, Malaysia dies. If we end corruption, BN dies. The choice is clear.

To put the past behind us, we must abolish the suppression, oppression, repression of our basic human rights and freedom

How can we have a clean government when we do not have clean elections? Hanya pilihanraya bersih boleh memastikan sebuah kerajaan bersih. The next government should be decided by Malaysians and not by phantom voters or Bangladeshis or Myanmarese. Saya percaya kita mahu rakyat Malaysia dan bukan pengundi hantu atau rakyat asing yang menentukan siapa menang kalah dalam pilihanraya umum ke-13.

We do not want our children to live in fear of oppressive laws as we have lived. A Pakatan Rakyat government will abolish the UUCA, the Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act and restore local government elections.

Kita tidak boleh menerima penyalahgunaan kuasa dimana rakyat Malaysia boleh mati dalam tahanan.

When can we find justice for Teoh Beng Hock, Ahmad Sarbani and A Kugan? When will we have Freedom of Information & Freedom of Speech? When can we have justice that is not only done, but is seen to be done.

To put the past behind us, we demand good governance and performance from our ministers

Malaysia can be an international and intelligent country. We must have digital intelligence with broadband connectivity. We must also have integrity intelligence, so ensure that only honest people are the decision-makers. We must have institutional intelligence under the rule of law. We demand good governance and performance from our ministers.

Has the Transport Ministry done its duty to run our airports and seaports well? Look at the Penang International Airport whose completion has been delayed more than 3 times. And the Penang Port is to be reduced to be a feeder port and privatized to a 3rd party at the expense of Penangites. Why is there no consultation with the people of Penang to restore the port to its former glory? Instead of looking after airports and ports, the Transport Ministry is more interested in vehicle registration numbers and wants to increase the maximum traffic fines to RM2,000.

Director-General of Tourism is wrongly charged of corruption but the Tourism Minister finds nothing wrong with spending RM1.8 million in doing up her Facebook page, when we all know that it can be done for free.

The Health Ministry wants to privatise healthcare when it should be a public good given as an affordable right to all Malaysians. Why allow the wastage of public funds and affect the quality and affordability of drugs when drugs are bought through a middleman at higher prices when it could be bought cheaper direct from the manufacturers, some of which are operating in Malaysia.

The Housing and Local Government Ministry opposes local government elections in Penang, denying our fundamental democratic right to elect our councillors and our mayors.

We believe that Malaysians deserve better. For the last 50 years, the wealth of the nation has been robbed. Let us protect the future of our children by ensuring we have a people-centric government that protects you instead of harming you, that rewards you instead of stealing from you, that respects you instead of abusing your rights. Let us clean up Malaysia to save our children’s future.

We must put the past behind us where profits matters more than our health. Lynas concerns all of us because if Lynas is allowed to operate, Barisan Nasional will proceed with building two nuclear reactors. If we continue to put health above profits, what is the use of having all the money in the world if you cannot enjoy it healthily?

The next elections shall be fought on the economy. We refuse to allow BN to use race as the issue in the next elections. We need to increase the incomes of our poor or else they will fall victims to the Ah Longs. For example, Bank Negara’s Annual Report 2010 revealed that Malaysia’s household debt at the end of 2010 was RM581 billion or 76 per cent of GDP, thus giving us the dubious honour of having the second-highest level of household debt in Asia.

In addition, the Malaysian household debt service ratio stood at 47.8 per cent in 2010, meaning that nearly half of the average family’s income goes to repaying debts. As a rule, banks would not lend money to those whose total servicing of loans exceeded one third of their income. In other words, we are spiralling into an indebted nation.

According to the New Economic Model documents, the bottom 40% of Malaysian households are living with a monthly average income of RM1,500 (and three-quarters of them are bumiputera) while 60% of the households (of four persons averagely) live with a less than RM3,000 income, which is near subsistence if one lives in the cities.

These are families living in fear. We will help them live with dignity and not in fear, by increasing their incomes and cutting down their costs, with a minimum wage, getting rid of monopolies, expanding internet connectivity and encouraging creativity, innovation and productivity.

South Korea is a very good example of a nation that chose democracy, performance and freedom of opportunity to become a developed country. With a population of 48 million, its GDP per capita of USD20,000 is more than double Malaysia’s. But in 1970, South Korea’s per capita GDP was only USD260 compared to Malaysia’s USD380 we used to regularly beat South Korea at football. And now our children are fans of K-pop culture and their football team are regulars at the World Cup.

Only when we free ourselves of fear of change, can we be free to prosper. BN cannot change. They need to be changed, for BN wants to rule by fear.

Thomas Jefferson has said “When the governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny”.

The choice is yours, my friends. I urge you – Let us change so we can have liberty and live with dignity.