When DAP announced Penang as the “front-line state” in the battle for unity, justice, freedom and democracy in Malaysia, it took us 20 years before we could accomplish the mission in the 2008 General Elections when DAP led and formed the Pakatan Rakyat state government in Penang.
UMNO/Barisan Nasional did their worst in the past decade resorting to the politics of race, religion, fear, hatred and lies in particular to create the impression that the so-called “Chinese DAP” Penang State Government were oppressing and persecuting the Malays and Islam in Penang.
While the UMNO/BN campaign of lies had some effect outside Penang in Malaysia, becaue of ignorance, the people of Penang in particular the Malays in Penang knew better. This is why Gerakan and MCA continued to be completely wiped out in the 2008, 2013 and 2018 General Elections, unable to win even a single State Assembly seat in Penang.
UMNO in Penang did not do very much better. From 11 State Assembly seats in the 2008 GE, UMNO was reduced to 10 seats in the 2013 GE and further slashed to two seats in the 2018 GE.
In fact, in the 2018GE, UMNO in Penang failed to gain support and lost about 10 per cent of Malay popular vote.
How could UMNO perform so badly in the 2018 GE, losing eight of the 10 State Assembly seats and even losing 10 per cent of Malay popular vote, if UMNO had conducted an honest and sincere campaign based on truth and facts instead of indulging in a campaign of lies about the Malays and Islam in Penang being oppressed and persecuted?
In 2013, when DAP announced Johore as the new “front line state” in the DAP struggle for unity, justice, freedom and democracy in Malaysia, UMNO/BN leaders regarded it as a joke as it seemed a “mission impossible”.
This is because Johore had always been regarded as the strongest UMNO/BN state in Malaysia, acquiring an air of invincibility to the extent that in the 2008GE, UMNO/BN campaigned on the basis of making Johore a zero opposition state.
However, the stars were kind to DAP and Pakatan Harapan, and in the 2018 GE, the impossible happened, and Pakatan Harapan toppled UMNO/BN not only in Malaysia but also in Johore.
Now we are embarked on a third historic mission – as we are declaring Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Perlis as the third and new “front-line states” in the further pursuit of the DAP for unity, justice, freedom and democracy for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region.
DAP has State Assembly members in Pahang but none in Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis.
The third phase of the DAP “front line” campaign in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Perlis will be more difficult and more formidable than our two earlier “frontline state” campaigns in Penang and Johore but the DAP is a party for all Malaysians throughout the country, regardless of race, religion or region.
We will co-operate with the other three Pakatan Harapan parties to ensure that we can succeed in ensuring that we not only have a Pakatan Harapan Federal Government, but also Pakatan Harapan state governments in Kelantan, Teregganu, Pahang and Perlis in future.
This is why I am visiting Terengganu and Kelantan, and I am glad to see the surge of support from the people, causing a new political spectacle – with the formation of four new branches in Terengganu and 17 new branches in Kelantan after the 14GE with membership from all racial and religious groups in Malaysia.
(Speech by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang at the meeting of new DAP members in Gua Musang on Tuesday July 10, 2018 at 1 pm)