In the two weeks election campaign for the six state polls from July 29 to August 12, 2023, where I limped and visited over 30 constituencies in four states, I came to realize that not only individuals had the brave the disapproval of society through the early decades for fighting for the ideals of justice, freedom, and good governance in Malaysia, whole families have to do that too, so that the ideals of justice, freedom, and good governance can spread to a large section of the community.
When I visited Pekan Cina in Alor Setar yesterday, I met Lee Lay Seng and Saw Kim Lan, long-time member of the Alor Setar branch, which was set up by former DAP National Chairman and “Tiger of Jelutong” Karpal Singh in the early seventies. Lay Seng and Kim Lan run a family business supplying Chinese tea-leaves and Ceylon tea.
Prominently displayed in their shop was a photograph of Karpal Singh with the words “Save Malaysia”. I was humbled by the tribute to Karpal, a great and passionate defender of justice and freedom.
Lay Seng and Kim Lam has a daughter, Lee Jen Uyin, a Subang Jaya councillor for three terms, who remembered her parents as “Good Samaritans”.
She said: “From young, when my father saw a car broke down, he will park his car at roadside and ask us wait for him and he will go to help. Any friend need to go to hospital or need advice, they give him a call, he will go.
“When people need help to read letter or write letter, he will try to help, when people need lawyer or police matter also he will go.
“After work, he will attend association or taman meeting.
“My mom will also help elderly send them go market, hospital, etc.
“When I was young, I always question why they were so busy to attend to everyone.
“I didn’t realise that one day I will get into community work like them. Being able to give is a gift.”
The DAP candidate for Teratai, Yew Jia Haur, is the son of the DAP candidate for the Malim Nawar state constituency in Perak in 1995, Yew Swee Fong.
In fact, Jia Haur cut his teeth in election campaigning helping his father in his candidature in Malim Nawar in 1995.
In Sungai Puyu in Penang, we have candidate Phee Syn Tze who is daughter of Phee Boon Poh, a five-term State Assemblyman for the area going back to 1990, highlighting it is not only the individual who has to bear the brunt of political idealism, but the family as well.
For the idealism of justice, freedom, and good governance to prevail, it is not enough for individuals to struggle and sacrifice, whole families and the entire communities must go through the struggle as well.
DAP had spawned many ordinary families who fought for justice, freedom, and good governance in Malaysia.
(Media Statement (3) by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang in Penang on Friday, 11th August 2023)