Twenty-nine years ago, in September 1995, the voters of Bagan saved the DAP and democracy in Malaysia after the DAP suffered its worst electoral defeat in three decades in the 1995 general elections with the government coalition winning a five-sixth majority in Parliament.

In the 1995 General Election in April 1995, P. Patto won with a 118-vote majority. However he passed away three months later causing a by-election being held.

I asked for a 5,000-vote majority to save DAP and democracy in the by-election, and Lim Hock Seng won the Bagan by-election on Sept. 9, 1995 with a 11,802-vote majority and earned the title of Democracy City.

Now, Bagan is showing the way for Malaysia to step forward globally, for the 10,000 red-silk lanterns in Jalan Raja Uda in Bagan every Chinese New Year is not only famous in Malaysia but in the world to usher in a new year where Malaysians inside the country and the whole wide world can feel proud as Malaysians.

Malaysia needs a reset of our nation-building policies, and we must learn from the wrongs and mistakes we have made in deviating from the nation-building principles of our founding fathers and which prevented Malaysia from achieving Vision 2020 to create a Bangsa Malaysia out of our multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation, and placed Malaysia among the successful world-class nations.

Malaysia is at the confluence of four great civilisations — Malay/Islamic, Chinese, Indian, and Western — and we must leverage on the values and virtues of these four great civilisations to build a great world-class nation.

We should learn from best and not the worst from these four great civilisations to build a great Malaysia where Malaysians all over the world can be proud.

Penang has won international awards and recognition for its food, beaches, nature, and historical heritage. It was listed by many as a Must Visit City.

In 2008, George Town was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2021, Penang Hill was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

But Penang could do more.

Penang should be the front-line state to enable Malaysia to be the role model for the world in inter-ethnic, inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-civilisation dialogue, understanding, tolerance and harmony and provide the intellectual leadership for such a transformation.

This year, Malaysia is Chairman of ASEAN. Malaysia has also joined BRICS country.

I call on Penang to lead Malaysia in having global mindsets to contribute to global peace, progress and prosperity in promoting inter-ethnic, inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-civilisation dialogue, understanding, tolerance and harmony and provide the intellectual leadership for such a transformation.

(Speech by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang at the “Light 10,000 Red-Silk Lanterns” ceremony at Jalan Raja Uda, Bagan to welcome the Chinese New Year of the Snake on Sunday, 5th January 2025 at 7.30 pm)