DAP State Chairman and Assemblyman for Derga, Sdr. Tan Kok Yew just now regaled us about the three historic milestones of Baling, viz:

*the 1956 Baling Peace talks featuring Tunku Abdul Rahman, David Marshall and Chin Peng;

*the 1974 Baling hunger strike by peasants protesting against poverty, featuring Anwar Ibrahim and resulting in his detention under the Internal Security Act;

*the 1985 tragic Memali Incident which left 18 dead.

Let us make 2015 a fourth historic milestone for Baling, for it is in this year that two political parties were formed in Baling – Parti Amanah Negara and DAP.

Even more significant, let the formation of Parti Amanah Negara and DAP in Baling in 2015, together with the establishment of Pakatan Harapan, mark the beginning of the Pakatan Harapan campaign to win the Kedah state government in the 14th General Election which must be be held within 30 months in 2018.

The presence of AMANAH national and state leaders at the formation of the Baling DAP Branch today is doubly significant as I am glad to see my old friend from Perak, former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, now a AMANAH national leader, with us as well as the Kedah AMANAH chairman, Datuk Dr. Ismail Salleh and the head of Baling AMANAH Sdr. Rosli – signifying the resolve and commitment of Pakatan Harapan not only to win the Kedah state government, but to pave the way for the Pakatan Harapan capture of Putrajaya in the 14GE.

I must thank the Speaker of Parliament, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia for my six-month suspension from Parliament which has enabled me to travel up and down the country, and to come to Baling today and later to Lunas and Gua Cempadak, to explain the reasons for the parliamentary injustice of suspending me from Parliament for articulating what is the hearts and minds of all patriotic Malaysians– From where the RM2.6 billion in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s personal banking accounts came from, and to where they have gone to?

This is not just about Najib’s RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal or the RM50 billion 1MDB scandal – as it is about the larger question whether we have a government which holds itself to be accountable to the people for all aspects of financial expenditures and to avoid financial scandals.

I do not believe that it is just the members and supporters of Pakatan Harapan, comprising DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah who want answers to these two questions – From Where and To Where the RM2.6 billion in Najib’s personal banking accounts have gone to.

The sacking of Tan Sri Muyhiddin Yassin as Deputy Prime Minister and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal as Minister for Rural and Regional Devepment for asking questions about Najib’s RM2.6 billion “donation” and RM50 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals are not going to stop the growing revolt of the three million UMNO members and the 21,000 UMNO Branches from demanding answers to these two mega scandals.

Today, the UMNO Secretary-General Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor said that there no attempts to silence Muhyiddin by disallowing him as the No. 2 in UMNO to speak at the joint opening of the UMNO Youth, Wanita and Puteri Assemblies next month, but UMNO “traditions” needed to be changed to ensure that the party “cancer” does not spread.

It is indeed shocking that the UMNO Deputy President has been likened to “cancer” in UMNO by the party’s secretary-general.

I am not an UMNO member but surely Muhyiddin deserves more respect from UMNO officials and members.

However, the single biggest issue confronting Malaysians, including the three million UMNO members and 21,000 UMNO branches, is whether they are prepared to join hands with all Malaysians including Pakatan Harapan for one single common purpose – how to save Malaysia from the prolonged and deepening political, economic, good governance and nation-building crisis plaguing the country, as the question is no more about saving an individual or even a political party but how to save the whole country.

(Speech at the formation of the Baling DAP Branch at Restoran Haji Wahab, Pekan Kupang, Baling on Thursday, 26th November 2015 at 4 pm)