The DAP Ipoh Resolution

The DAP Ipoh Resolution:
MUAFAKAT TRANSFORMASI MALAYSIA
(adopted by the DAP National Conference 2010 in Ipoh on Sunday, 17th January 2010)

PREAMBLE

1. That the nation is waiting for a profound change is beyond doubt and that it is now a fact that the government-of-the-day is incapable of changing the intolerably arbitrary, self-serving, unjust, cruel and corrupt system of governance;

2. That the world does not stand still to wait for Malaysia, and we risk watching Asia changing and its economy growing not as an active participant but as bystander if we do not catch up fast;

3. That to save Malaysian governance from further deterioration, the economy from further plunder, and the people from further injustices is a shared imperative;

4. That the Democratic Action Party (DAP) therefore, in partnership with other Pakatan Rakyat parties and in cooperation with civil society, is determined to transform Malaysia through a new muafakat (consensus)

   • by reversing distortions and corruptions of the Constitution, the rule of law and the system of governance,
   • by restoring mutual respect amongst Malaysia’s multiethnic, multicultural and multi-religious peoples,
   • by renewing trust in public institutions and in the security services,
   • by rejuvenating the economy
   • by conserving the environment,
   • by revamping the education system, and
   • by re-establishing hope in our future as a nation;

5. The DAP National Delegates gathered here in Ipoh, Perak, on 17th January 2010, at the turn of the decade and at a time of a sustained national crisis to chart a new future for Malaysia which departs from the expiring status quo, and thus hereby resolves to:

PRINCIPLES

1. REAFFIRM our noble aspiration since the formation of the party to create a nation that puts MALAYSIAN FIRST, based on common universal values of democracy, freedom, justice, integrity and human dignity, that ends divisions based on race, religion, creed and gender, and that unites all Malaysians
   to face the rapidly changing world as one people;

2. REASSURE the people that a society based on common universal values of MALAYSIAN FIRST will not marginalise any community or individual and aid all who are in need;

3. REITERATE our dedication towards establishing social democracy in Malaysia with social justice, equal opportunity, solidarity, peace and sustainability as its core values, with an additional emphasis on the
   question of intergenerational justice;

4. PLEDGE our uncompromising dedication to efficient, effective, humane, clean and ethical governance based on the principles of Competency, Accountability, and Transparency (CAT);

TRIBUTES

5. RECOGNISE the contributions and sacrifices of DAP leaders and members during the dark, long, lonely political stagnation for the most parts of the party’s existence that kept the flame of democracy alive;

6. EXPRESS our deepest condolence to the family of DAP political aide Sdr. Teoh Beng Hock who died in the custody of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on 16th July 2009 and for which no words could describe our sorrow and anger over the first, and hopefully the last, political death in DAP’s history,
   even while the Federal Government continues to deny the cause of his death;

7. DECLARE support for, and solidarity with, the people of Perak and the DAP Perak leadership and members, together with our comrades in the Pakatan Rakyat, who have persevered in the face of the challenges brought about by the despicable, undemocratic and illegal power grab initiated by elements in
   the Federal Government, CONDEMN those who engineered and facilitated the coup d’état, and

8. SUPPORT party leaders and members who are victimised by the Federal Government through its abuse of institutions such as the civil service, police, MACC and judiciary, having been arrested, investigated, charged and persecuted or facing such risks under various draconian laws such as the Sedition Act, Internal
   Security Act (ISA), Police Act etc; EXPRESS support and solidarity to these comrades, including National Chairman, Secretary-General, National Organising Secretary, National Publicity Secretary, Members of Parliament and State Assemblies and various national, state and branch leaders and members, for their
   unwavering stand and quest for justice, democracy and fairness for all Malaysians, in line with the struggle of the DAP;

COMMITMENTS

9. RESTATE our commitment to the consolidation of Pakatan Rakyat to provide a viable alternative to Barisan Nasional and form the next Federal Government based on Pakatan Rakyat’s Common Policy Framework “Muafakat Rakyat”;

10. DECLARE our support for the DAP Central Executive Committee to make the party a natural choice for all Malaysians regardless of race, religion and creed;

11. REAFFIRM our support for the State Governments of which DAP is a part to carry out the reforms and transformations that Malaysians long for;

MALAYSIAN FIRST

12. STRESS that true national unity can only be achieved if the nation practices the spirit of Malaysian First, which professes common universal values and provides for equal opportunity for all, and, in this context, strongly CONDEMN the cynical manipulation of the “Allah” issue by UMNO and the unfortunate religious violence hitherto unimaginable;

13. URGE all Pakatan Rakyat parties to pursue steadfastly a new muafakat amongst Malaysians to herald a second nation-building process and to distance ourselves from UMNO/Barisan Nasional’s myopic racial formulations, and, in this context, CONDEMN the institutionalised racism propagated by Biro Tata Negara and REITERATE our position that the Bureau must be abolished;

14. EXPRESS concern that Malaysian citizens in Sabah and Sarawak have been marginalized and left behind in most aspects and VOW to bridge the gap between the two sides of the South China Sea and improve the wellbeing of all;

INSTITUTIONAL RENEWAL

15. RECALL that DAP has been at the forefront of making the Malaysian Parliament a First World Parliament, and RESTATE our campaign for best practices in the Parliament and State Assemblies to ensure that governments are Competent, Accountable and Transparent;

16. RECALL that one of DAP’s key platforms is the democratisation of local governance in which local election is an integral part of the platform and URGE the Federal Government to hold such elections before, or concurrent with, the next general election;

17. DECLARE our unwavering commitment to the rule of law and the independence of the Judiciary as being essential to any functioning society and RESTATE our call for sweeping judicial reforms to stop the rot of the Judiciary since the crisis of 1988;

18. NOTE that clean, free and fair election is the most elementary requirement of a democracy and DECLARE our support for the demands stated by the BERSIH Coalition for Clean and Fair Election, including the calls for a new and clean electoral roll, automatic voter registration and the lowering of the voting age to 18 years old;

19. CALL for reform to correct lopsided Federal-State relations, especially in terms of financial resources and to ensure that State Governments can exercise adequately the mandates given to them by voters;

20. NOTE that public security is the bedrock of trust in any society, and a society cannot function without trust, both in each other and in public institutions, remaining COGNIZANT OF the escalating crime rate threatening anyone anywhere; REITERATE our call for the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconducts Commission (IPCMC) and the implementation of the 125 recommendations of the Royal Commission Report of 2005, and REITERATE our call for the resignation of Tan Sri Musa Hassan as Inspector-General of Police for failing to institute reform during his tenure which also coincided with the rampant rise of crimes;

21. DEPLORE the malaise of corruption which is now cancerous – proven by Malaysia’s continuous fall in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index – and, in this context, REITERATE the call that a Royal Commission be established to investigate claims that the Government lost RM100 billion in various schemes and manipulations during the tenure of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad;

22. CALL for a non-partisan civil service and armed forces reform to examine the effectiveness and efficiency of the respective services, as well as the remuneration packages for the personnel, with the aim to lift their morale, integrity and performance;

23. CALL ON the Ministry of Defense to make public a Defense White Paper to explain its strategic visions and broad policies to facilitate rational public and parliamentary scrutiny over its procurement choices, programmes, and expenditure; and, in this context, URGE the Federal Government to establish an independent inquiry into the case of the missing fighter jet engines;

24. EXPRESS shock at the deplorable and inhumane treatment of the indigenous communities in the country, including the lack of proper socio-economic assistance to the Orang Asli communities in the Peninsula and the alleged rape of Penan girls and women in Sarawak, and CALL for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Welfare and Development of the Indigenous Communities in Malaysia to present a comprehensive report with recommendations on safeguarding the well-being and ways of life of the indigenous communities while ensuring that they are given the opportunity to participate in the development and progress of the country in general;

HIGH AND HUMANE GROWTH

25. EMPHASISE our intentions contained in DAP’s Alternative Budget 2010 to democratise Malaysia’s economy through fiscal decentralisation, restructuring and reallocation of resources, and empowerment and enablement of Malaysians, so that the potential of Malaysians can be unleashed for high growth;

26. NOTE that the Malaysian economy is now caught in a low-skill, low-productivity and low-wage toxic mix with 60 percent of Malaysian families living with a monthly household income of less than RM3,000 while UMNO/Barisan Nasional’s cronies continue to fill their personal coffers to overflowing at the expense of
    the public; and, in this context, REITERATE our stance that if Pakatan Rakyat takes control of the Federal Government, travel on the North South Highway will be made free within seven years;

27. COMMIT steadfastly to practice open tender in public spending, cut wasteful expenditure, make Petronas finances accessible to the public via parliamentary scrutiny, and thus reduce the need to tax Malaysians more, and, in this context, STATE our opposition to the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which will inevitably burden Malaysians more and which can be avoided at this stage if wasteful spending is cut;

28. RECOGNISE the importance of small and medium-size industries and businesses in providing employment to Malaysians as well as driving innovation in our economy and COMMIT to institute a friendlier business environment for such businesses and industries;

29. SUPPORT the implementation of a minimum wage system as it is one of the effective policy measures that Malaysia can use to break free from the low-wage vicious cycle, and also REITERATE the importance of an “education revolution” to move our labour force to a high-skill, high-productivity mould;

30. RECALL that DAP, of all political parties in Malaysia, has the highest number of female elected representatives and COMMIT to a 30 percent women participation target while also PROMOTING the increase of the national female labour participation rate from the current 46 percent to 60 percent within 10 years, with the improvement in the provision of various services that help women in the workforce such as childcare and aged care so that women become the drivers of human capital growth in the next phase of our economy;

31. RECALL that DAP, of all political parties in Malaysia, has the highest number of elected reps from among those below 40 years old, and NOTE that 75 percent of Malaysia’s population are below 40 years old and most of them are categorised as youth; and also COMMIT to improving the conditions for the young and young families in terms of jobs, education opportunities, and housing so to unleash their full potentials, and thus enable the nation to grow with greater intensity;

GREEN AGENDA

32. NOTE that climate change and issues relating to the environment have become important in recent years, EXPRESS our disappointment at the outcome of the Copenhagen Conference 2009 and URGE the Malaysian Government to show leadership and exemplary behavior in ensuring a sustainable world economy;

33. RECOGNISE that the Penang State Government and subsequently the Selangor State Government are at the forefront of the “No Plastic Campaign;”

34. RECOGNISE that energy efficiency is the key to the Green Agenda, thus OPPOSE the construction of the RM10 billion 650km-long Bakun Dam Undersea Cable to supply electricity from Sarawak, given that the Electricity Reserve Capacity for Peninsula Malaysia is at 52 percent, which is ridiculously high by any standard, and instead PROPOSE that the reserve margin of Bakun be channeled to Sabah to resolve energy issues there without having to build coal-fired plants, and, in this context, CALL for a total revamp of the Independent Power Producers sector;

35. PROPOSE a comprehensive national review that looks into the long-term environmental and social costs of the subsidies given to Proton and other national car producers, approved permits for imported cars, as well as that of the road-construction lobby, and the high road fatalities and accidents; as well as the need to improve the public transport system to boost the use of the system, hence enhancing overall energy efficiency;

36. COMMIT to active protection, conservation and rehabilitation of forest, water-catchment areas, wet lands reclamation according to sound and environmentally friendly guidelines, and CONDEMN the greed-motivated actions of the encroachment of forest reserves, illegal game hunting and wildlife trade, and REAFFIRM our commitment to put the environment, ecology and human life first before anything else;

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

37. REJECT, in line with the positions of the Socialist International, the “casino capitalism” characteristic of the international financial market and URGE the Malaysian Government to call for structural reforms to avoid and avert the next possible crisis;

38. REGRET the failure of ASEAN leadership on the part of the Malaysian Government in resolving the long standing crisis in Myanmar and URGE the Malaysian Government to ensure that the Human Rights Mechanism promised in the ASEAN Charter will have a forth positive impact;

39. OPPOSE all forms of terrorism and injustices and EXPRESS solidarity with victims displaced by conflicts all over the world, including the people of Palestine;

40. COMMIT that if DAP and its partners form the next government, Malaysia will rise as an important regional power that advocates principled positions based on the values of justice, international solidarity and peace;

PARTY ORGANISATION

41. REQUIRE DAP leaders, elected representatives and appointed officials in the various state authorities that Pakatan Rakyat governs to constantly be cognizant of the party’s ideology, platforms, visions and missions, as well as programmes in their quest to bring substantive change to the country through the mandate given to them, and to be reminded to meet the high expectations of the voters;

42. RECOGNISE the importance of strengthening the party’s organisation at the parliamentary level in preparation for the next general election;

43. COMMIT that the party supports fully the efforts of the Sawarak and Perak State Committees in preparation for the next state elections;

44. DIRECT leaders and members at all levels of the party to gear up in preparation for the next general election which will decide the fate of our beloved nation over the next decade and the next generation.