I am fortified in my call yesterday to the Malacca voters to represent Malaysians to vote against both the Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates for the loss of nearly 30,000 lives (with more than 6,000 Brought-in-Dead Covid-19 deaths) and nearly 2.6 million Covid-19 cases because we are left far behind by other countries in the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yesterday, we recorded 6,355 new Covid-19 cases and 45 Covid-19 deaths (including seven BID deaths), losing out to India which recorded 5,883 daily new Covid-19 cases and losing out to Indonesia which beat Malaysia by recording five (5) daily single-digit Covid-19 deaths!
We have lost out to China. Now we are beginning to lose out to India and Indonesia in the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Malaysia has lost out to Indonesia, both in daily new Covid-19 cases for 97 days since August 18, 2021 and daily Covid-19 deaths for 71 days since 9th September 10, 2021 except for a day on 23rd September 2021.
How low will Malaysia go?
Is this the result of the failure to develop Malaysian talents and meritocracy at all levels of our education system and at all stages of public life – whether in the civil service or the corporate sector?
For half-a-century, one nation after another have overtaken Malaysia – Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam. At the present trend, we will be overtaken by Indonesia and Philippines in the coming decades.
Malaysia will never fulfil our Malaysian Dream to be a world-class great nation if we continue to allow toxic “race and religion” rhetoric and politics to divide Malaysians along racial and religious lines.
Let the Malacca general election today mark a new start for Malaysian nation-building.
We must launch a Malaysia First campaign, where every Malaysian regardless of race, religion, region or politics, regard himself or herself as Malaysian First, and not Malay First, Chinese First, Indian First, Kadazan First or Iban First to leverage on the values and virtues of the four great civilisations which meet in confluence in Malaysia to build a great Malaysian civilization and reaffirm an uphold the five nation- building principles of Rukun Negara.
Let us set our sight on the 100th Birthday of Malaysia to make Malaysia a world-class great nation by Malaysia’s Centennial in 2057.
BN and PN stand for the past while PH represents the future.
The choice in the Malacca general election cannot be more stark or significant.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Malacca on Saturday, 20th November 2021)