My visit to Rahang new village this morning is a most significant one.
It was from Rahang, through the Rahang by-election on 11th December 1965, which was won by Dr. Chen Man Hin as an independent candidate as DAP was still waiting for registration by the Registrar of Societies, that DAP took the first step in our long-term political struggle for an united, just and democratic Malaysia.
As the saying goes, “A journey of thousand miles begin with a single step” – the DAP’s 52 year struggle for an united, just and democratic Malaysia start from the “single step” in the Rahang by-election 52 years ago.
Let all Malaysians recall our Merdeka Dream 1957 and Malaysia Dream 1963 to be “for ever a sovereign democratic and independent State founded upon the principles of liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of its people and the maintenance of a just peace among all nations”.
Sixty years after attainment of Merdeka in 1957 and 54 years after the formation of Malaysia, it is highly controversial whether in the past six decades, we have stayed true, loyal and faithful the key words in the Merdeka Proclamation 1957 and Malaysia Proclamation 1963 of being “sovereign”, “democratic”, “independent”, “liberty”, “justice”, “welfare and happiness of its people” and “maintenance of a just peace among all nations”.
Today, there are more and more incidents which would be unthinkable to our forefathers and the early Prime Ministers during the early decades of the nation – like the upsurge of race and religious issues over beer, shorts and launderette, which caused one of the Sultans to declare that his state is not a Taliban state!
Our Prime Minister talks about a Global Movement of Moderates at international forums but inside the country, racial and religious polarization had never been as serious today as in any period of the nation’s history. What went wrong?
The answer is simple – The leaders of the government have forgotten the Merdeka Dream and the Malaysia Dream, and it now left to the ordinary Malaysians in the 14th General Election to reclaim the country from UMNO/BN by electing a new Pakatan Harapan government in both Putrajaya and in several states, including Negri Sembilan, so that we can re-set nation-building policies in consonance with the Merdeka Dream 1957 and Malaysia Dream 1963.
Irresponsible UMNO strategists and cybertroopers can continue to demonise the DAP as anti-Malay and anti-Islam, and to condemn those who co-operated with DAP, like Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Mohamad Sabu as traitors of the Malay and Islamic faith.
I have previously co-operated with the first Prime Minister and Bapa Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, the third Prime Minister, Tun Hussein Onn, fto ensure that Malaysia can become an united, just and democratic Malaysia.
Are the UMNO propagandists and cybertroopers suggesting that Tunku and Hussein were anti-Malay and anti-Islam and stooges of DAP?
UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers are making a fatal mistake if they underestimate the intelligence of the Malay voters and think that they can be easily misled by lies and falsehoods painting DAP as anti-Malay and anti-Islam while framing Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Hussein and now Tun Mahathir, Muhyddin, Anwar, Wan Azizah and Mat Sabu as DAP stooges.
DAP is a Malaysian political party, promoting the rights and interests of all races and religions in the country, and we have within our ranks Malaysians from all races and religions, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazans and Orang Asli; whether Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs or Taoists.
We cannot be anti-Malay or anti-Islam for this will be anti-Malaysian, which comprise the diverse races and religions in the country.
Why then are there these UMNO propagandists and cybertroopers persist in their campaign of fear and lies that DAP is anti-Malay and anti-Islam when they know that these outrageous charges are fake news and false information?
The answer is very simple – these are the real enemies of a peaceful, harmonious united, progressive and prosperous multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-cultural Malaysia who want to create disunity, division and discord by setting race against race and religion against religion because this is their only way to hold on to political power.
Only the ordinary Malaysians can save the country from kleptocracy and the fate of a failed and rogue state.
Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or politics, must unite and make a special point to attend the Pakatan Harapan rally on “Sayangi Malaysia, Hapuskan Kleptocrasi” on Saturday, 14thOctober, to send two clear and unmistakable messages to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the world that (i) it is the ordinary Malaysians and not the so-called political leaders in government, who are the real patriots of Malaysia; (ii) that Malaysians do not want Malaysia to continue to become a global kleptocracy but want Malaysia to be known and identified with integrity, good governance and anti-corruption.
(Speech at the DAP kopitiam dialogue in Rahang new village, Senawang, Negri Sembilan on Sunday, 8th October 2017 at 11 am)