(Opening speech by DAP Secretary-General/Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at the debate with MCA President Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek on “DAP & MCA: Whose Policies Benefit the Country More?” at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre on Sunday, July 8, 2012 at 2.30 pm)
CEO of ASLI Tan Sri Michael Yeoh, my learned opponent, ladies and gentlemen: Salam bersih kepada semua.
Kita berkumpul di sini untuk menentukan dasar parti manakah yang lebih boleh memberi manfaat kepada rakyat Malaysia. Seharusnya, satu perbahasan patut diadakan di antara Perdana Menteri, Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak, dan Ketua Pembangkang, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Malangnya Perdana Menteri enggan berbahas dengan Anwar. Adakah Najib enggan berbahas dengan Anwar kerana beliau bimbang selepas perbahasan, rakyat akan membuat pernilaian bahawa Anwar lebih layak menjadi Perdana Menteri Malaysia?
In fact, MCA is not qualified to be here to discuss about policies because MCA does not decide, it is UMNO that decides. MCA claims to speak only for the Chinese, and yet only the Chinese in the Peninsula, and not the Chinese in Sabah and Sarawak. This is different from the DAP, that wants to speak for all Malaysians. DAP mahu bersuara untuk semua orang Malaysia: Melayu, Cina, India, Kadazan dan Iban, kerana kita semua rakyat Malaysia, bukan macam MCA, yang kononnya mahu mewakili orang Cina sahaja.
Mengapakah mesti kita terus dipecahbelahkan mengikut kaum dan agama? Inilah kejayaan terbesar UMNO. Mereka mahu kita takut satu sama lain supaya BN boleh terus merompak harta dan kekayaan Malaysia. Tengoklah skandal lembu dan kondo. Pak cik yang ternak lembu sepanjang masa tidak dapat pinjaman berjuta-juta ringgit, tapi keluarga menteri yang tak pernah ternak lembu boleh mendapat pinjaman 250 juta ringgit yang disalahgunakan untuk beli kondo pula. Jangan-jangan orang Singapura yang ada banyak kondo nak datang ke Malaysia belajar macam mana ternak lembu di kondo. Skandal PKFZ sebanyak 12.5 bilion ringgit telah melibatkan pemimpin tertinggi MCA tetapi ahli politik yang aktif tidak dibawa ke mahkamah. Semua skandal ini MCA tidak bersuara tetapi sokong buta sahaja. Kedudukan Malaysia telah jatuh dalam persepsi rasuah Transparency International daripada 37 dalam tahun 2003 kepada 60 tahun lepas (2011).
Kita harus bersatupadu sebagai anak Malaysia. Kalau kita terus dipecahbelahkan, hanya kroni-kroni dan orang-orang ataslah yang untung. Kalau kita bersatupadu, baru dapatlah kita semua menikmati hasil kejayaan ekonomi Malaysia.
Mengapakah hanya pemimpin Melayu yang boleh membela hak orang Melayu, hanya pemimpin Cina yang boleh membela hak orang Cina. Tibalah masanya untuk pemimpin-pemimpin membela hak semua rakyat Malaysia dan membantu satu sama lain.
For the last 50 years, we have been consumed by race and religion. For the next 50 years, let us be consumed by the task of improving the economic wellbeing and protecting the civil and political rights of our fellow Malaysians.
We have many problems in our country that need to be addressed. But the biggest problem of all is the problem of corruption that results in abuse of power, low wages and an ever-rising cost of living. BN has never spoken truthfully to the Malaysian people. Let us speak truthfully now. If we can unite as Malaysians and not allow BN & UMNO to divide us, and discuss our problems together, I am convinced that we will succeed in overcoming them.
DAP believes that a clean government can always perform better than a corrupt government. The DAP believes that a clean government requires open competitive tenders, full disclosure of contracts between the government and the private sector, freedom of information and the public declaration of the assets of ministers, prime ministers and chief ministers. Why is it that the Federal Government dare not follow the Penang Government in having public declarations of assets? Is it because BN leaders have too much property to hide?
Kejayaan sebuah kerajaan yang bersih terserlah di kerajaan-kerajaan negeri Pakatan Rakyat. Di Pulau Pinang, kita telah mencatatkan lebihan bajet setiap tahun walaupun perbelanjaan Kerajaan Negeri dinaikkan sebanyak 55%. Kita membuat jalan, longkang, rumah mampu milik dan taman hijau. Berbanding dengan hutang Kerajaan Persekutuan yang naik ke RM480 bilion pada 31 Mac 2012, beban hutang Negeri pula dikurangkan sebanyak 95% daripada RM630 juta kepada RM30 juta, yang merupakan lagi satu rekod dalam sejarah Malaysia. Ini membolehkan wang bantuan diberikan kepada warga emas, ibu-bapa dan pelajar-pelajar sekolah dan IPTA, ibutunggal dan OKU. Semua sekolah pelbagai aliran diberikan peruntukan setiap tahun, dan bukan lima tahun sekali atau lima puluh tahun sekali, seperti BR1M RM500, yang menimbulkan soalan macam mana seorang datuk MCA dari Pahang pun boleh menerima RM500 yang diberikan kepada keluarga susah. Pulau Pinang merupakan negeri pertama di Malaysia yang menghapuskan kemiskinan tegar dan kita akan menjadi negeri pertama yang menghapuskan kemiskinan sama sekali menjelang 2015. Pulau Pinang juga merupakan negeri pertama yang memberikan WiFi percuma kepada rakyat di tempat-tempat awam di Pulau Pinang.
Ada mereka yang telah mengatakan bahawa sekiranya Pakatan Rakyat melaksanakan tender terbuka, maka orang Melayu akan rugi. Tetapi di Pulau Pinang di bawah kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat, 70% daripada tender-tender terbuka telah dimenangi oleh kontraktor Melayu yang berkeupayaan. Ini membuktikan bahawa kontraktor Melayu memang berdaya saing. Sebenarnya, yang tidak berguna hanyalah kontraktor dan kroni UMNO.
The DAP believes that the policies of our party and Pakatan Rakyat represent the future for our children, whereas the policies of the MCA and BN represent the past. No longer can we accept the culture of corruption and cronyism. Let us take our rights back from the BN cronies by abolishing the N-S Highway tolls and removing subsidies to the independent power producers. No longer can we accept the abuse of power that has led to Malaysians dying in custody, as happened to Teoh Beng Hock, Ahmad Sarbani and A Kugan. We must set up the IPCMC (Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission) to stop such abuses and custodial deaths. No longer can we allow our womenfolk to walk the streets and park their cars in fear. We should put policemen on patrol instead of monitoring Pakatan Rakyat politicians. No longer can we accept a policy of putting profits before the people’s health. Let us close down the Lynas rare earth plant in Kuantan and stop the building of nuclear reactors proposed by BN.
No longer should Sabahans be strangers in their own land with illegal immigrants getting citizenship. Let us have a royal commission of enquiry to weed out these illegal citizens. No longer should Sabahans and Sarawakians be denied the right to their natural resources by being given royalties of only 5%. We must increase it to 20% as their rightful share. No longer should vernacular schools be marginalised. We have a right to adequate funding for mother-tongue education. No longer can we accept a slow broadband service, let us have proper broadband and free wifi in public places.
No longer can we accept the cynical manipulation and division of the people of Malaysia by race and religion when we should be united by common principles of justice, freedom and democracy. Let us ensure that a minority Malaysian such as Bersih co-chairman Dato’ Ambiga Sreenivasan is not hounded and persecuted because she is an Indian, a Hindu and a woman.
Have a big problem with LGE in this debate. He started by baiting Najib to debate Anwar but the way he demolished CSL who is a better than Najib, why would Najib not run away?
This is the season for DAP bashing. UMNO is using Tunku Aziz, the ex-DAP senator to rubbish the DAP. I hope DAP will not be baited to respond in kind. Let Tunku Aziz drown in his own vomitting and that will show the people what a faked “gentleman” he is. As I have said before, UMNO will never accept him as a card-carrying member of the party. Actually UMNO has no respect for such a person and it will always remind him that he is an indentured labourer, forever owned but never acknowledged. Beggars can’t be choosers!
Wah, LGE, you really, really demolish your opponent!!!
But don’t waste any more time on him.
You are a Very Important Personage while he’s a nonentity!
Not even fit to appear in front of you!!!!
UMNO/BN is only fit to create trouble.
When they were given five over decades to administer this country, what happened?
We, the electorate, know exactly what happened and is still happening.
We, the electorate, will make very certain that they will be history in the next GE!
One thing was VERY glaring. Tony Pua and others like Dzulkefly Ahmad did such an excellent job rebutting on Talam, THEY IGNORE IT COMPLETELY – CSL, thestar, Utusan and KEEP REPEATING THE SAME ERROR IN FACT..
Yes, we support DAP. BUT more importantly, we support the idea for a two party system, which is such an important aspect of true democracy. We are NOT demo-cracy. Dr Mad-hat-tir, in his dictatorial reign has managed to destroy all our checks and balances. He has castrated MCA / MIC / Gerakan, all the other component parties, all the ruling parties in Sabah and Sarawak, the monarchy, the judiciary, the police, Parliament, the electoral commission, the MACC. Sometimes through fair means and often through foul means. We now need to right that through the ballot box. When PR comes to power, corrupt UMNO will act as a very capable check for PR. If PR perform worse then the crooks, after 5 years, we can always have the crooks back again.
Yes, it is PR Vs UMNO ( Let us face it. It is not BN. It is UMNO ). The future of Malaysia also belongs to a 2 party system for truer democracy.
Let us all vote for change.
We must change the tenant at Putrajaya, for a better future for Malaysia. GE 13 is coming soon. If there is not significant electoral reforms, first to Bersih 4.0, then to GE 13, then to Putrajaya.
Change we must. Change we can. Change we will.
Well done Guan Eng! You must have spent a lot of time thinking how to summarize the country’s ills to fit into the time allocated to you for your speech.
Chua Soiled Lek says that it was LGE who dragged him (CSL) into the allegations regarding the non-existent affair. Chua effectively said that LGE took Chua’s hand and slapped LGE’s face with it. Silly Guan Eng, why did you do that ?
/// He (CSL) accused the DAP of often claiming to the country’s Chinese community that they have been marginalised under Barisan Nasional’s BN rule but reminded the opposition party that the poverty rate of the Chinese is still the lowest among the country’s three major races “Employment rate the highest Property ownership the largest ” he thundered “We cannot deny that in the implementation process there are those who benefit more than others and this is the bone of contention it causes a lot of Chinese to be angry with the government and MCA bears the burden of this ”.///–Chua Soi Lek
The words sound exactly like what Mamakthir had said and CSL parroted these words without shame or understanding of what they meant. CSL quoted figures which he could not even verify, such as the ownership of stocks; but who owns them? Should the people suffer unfair policies just to be informed that some among their community members are filthy rich. In communist country, one might get to share the wealth of others. Is CSL suggesting that the poor get to share the wealth of the rich in Malaysia when he talked about a few Chinese who own the bulk of corporate capital.
CSL simply has no sense that people are entitled to enjoy the fruit of their labour. In that, the process is important. Malaysians should have the right to equal opportunity. CSL just parroted what Mamakthir had said that since Chinese would work harder against unfair circumstances and survive that those unfair circumstance can remain.
By the statement and the thought that went with it, CSL is not fit even to be the head of a political party claiming to represent Chinese interest. Of course, MCA has proven to be a running dog of UMNO, and now CSL spells out loud it role as a running dog.
///He ( Mamakthir) says the recognition of the (TAR) certificates by the federal government was a major concession caused by Malay ‘stupidity’.///–Malaysiakini
That is the quality of a person who served for 22 years as the Prime Minister of this land. Any wonder why this place is going to hell, and how racism strive? How can Malaysians not hate Mamakthir?
Find it really funny, Najib ask Selangorian to give BN a chance and have learned from mistakes while Mahathir says he is stupid and have not learned for giving TAR college cer recognition…
‘He says the recognition of the (TAR) certificates by the federal government was a major concession caused by Malay ‘stupidity’.
Things have evolved (‘Transformed’ ?) since the Mahathir era.
I suppose during his (Mahathir’s) time the Malays under him then were ‘clever’ and HE could refuse to recognise TAR College’s certificates and diplomas.
Under the current Najib era, the Malays have become ‘stupid’ (‘Transformed’ ?) and sunk so low that the government needed to recognise TAR College’s Certificates and Diplomas.
Incidentally, in the latest rankings BY SUBJECT / DISCIPLINE by QS released recently, Singapore’s universities are again ranked in the Top 10, Top 20 in the world beating off more renowned and established universities. Where are the Malaysian universities? Have we dumbed down thereby confirming Mahathir’s observations?
///He (Mamakthir) says the recognition of the (TAR) certificates by the federal government was a major concession caused by Malay ‘stupidity’.
Mamakthir confirms now that certificate issued by government recognized institutions in the country does not signify what it certifies. It is given only based on strength, the strength of the race no less. Thus degrees and diplomas awarded by institutions of higher learning in Malaysia do not certify that the holders have met the required standards, never mind whatever standard they claim to have. It merely says that the holders have the political backing of the government. Even though TAR diplomas had not been recognized by the government until Najib experienced his weakness (according to Mamakthir), TAR graduates somehow were able to prove that the papers they had carry weight.
Mamakthir said that non-Malays should give up their mother tongue. If that is not seditious, then the word has lost its meaning and the Seditious Act is null and void.
I enjoyed this debate immensely even though I’ve to stay up until past midnight to watch the President of MCA being crushed to bits and pieces by LGE! How could he have gone into a debate without getting his facts doubled secured before blasting off hearsay figures…. Maybe he thought that he had done ‘sooo well’ in the 1st debate that this one would be ‘kacang putih’ to him. Hahaha..serve the MCA guys who have to sit through the whole embarrassing episode. Did CSL manage to answer the question thrown to him by the editor of roketkini?
I mean…..serve the MCA guys right for electing a President who can only bring disgrace to the party and at the same time being forced to sit through the whole embarrassing episode of the great debate!