I call on the voters of Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state assembly by-elections next Saturday to have a high voter turnout with two objectives:
- Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections are important not only for their constituencies and Johor state, but important to save Malaysia so that the country can reverse the national decline of the last two decades and rise up again to become a great world-class nation; and
- To vote not only for now and for themselves, but for the future in 20 or 30 years’ time and for their children and children’s children’s sake so that they can live in a nation where there is “Unity in diversity”, freedom, justice, development, and prosperity
The Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections cannot cause the Anwar unity government at the federal level to fall, but it can affect the speed and quality of the policy changes and institutional reforms in the next four years to make Malaysia a great world-class nation.
If we want a better Malaysia for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region, we need a strong vote of support for the Anwar unity government in both the by-elections so that there is political stability and national unity of diverse races, religions, and cultures in Malaysia to make the country rise up again as a great world-class nation,
Pulai and Simpang Jeram can show Malaysia and the world that lies, falsehoods, fake news, and hate speech cannot succeed or decide the nation’s future.
I have been accused of being anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-Royalty, cause of the May 13, 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur, communist, and spreading Islamophobia but those who spread these lies, falsehoods, fake news, and hate speech like the PAS President, Hadi Awang, cannot produce an iota of evidence from my 58 years of political work — yet they refuse to withdraw and retract these wild and preposterous allegations.
The DAP has been in power in Penang since 2008, but they could not produce a single instance of the 15-year DAP Government in Penang to substantiate their allegations that the DAP is anti-Malay, anti-Islam, and anti-Royalty, communist or spreading Islamophobia.
Yet they continue to spread these lies, falsehoods, fake news, and hate speech.
We must show the nation and the world that the voters of Pulai and Simpang Jeram have no time for lies, falsehoods, fake news, and hate speech, but want political stability and national unity for the next four years for Malaysia to rise up again to be a great world-class nation.
(Speech by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang at a Pulai PH/BN ceramah on Saturday, 2nd September 2023 at 9 pm)