Category: DAP

I wish to clarify a Chinese news report today on my statement yesterday with the heading: “Kit Siang rules out polls before September”.

What I said was that until yesterday, I had completely ruled out the possibility of the next general election being held before August 31 as the hundreds of million of ringgit that will be splurged all over the country to celebrate our half-a-century of nationhood would have been planned with an eye to recreate the “feel good euphoria” which had been so successful in the 2004 general election to give the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi an unprecedented victory mandate of 91% of the parliamentary seats.]

I said there had been two schools of thought among the election strategists in Umno and Barisan Nasional — whether the next general election should be held next year before end of April when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim regains his civil right enfranchisement to stand for elective office or the latter part of this year.

However, as a result of the Machap and Ijok by-elections, there is a third school of thought in Umno and Barisan Nasional, favouring a general election before the 50th Merdeka Anniversary celebrations on August 31.

It is to be seen as to which of these three schools of thought would win the ear of Abdullah, although there are increasing signs of early polls.

The next general election will be a crucial and critical one for Abdullah. It will also be a crucial and critical one for the DAP and the Opposition. Continue reading “BN no reason to exult over Ijok – but fatal mistake to think next poll is “harvest time” for Opposition”

(Press Conference Statement By DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng In Melaka On 13.4.2007)

Machap Voters Are The Real Victors In Getting Tens Of Millions Of Ringgit In Development Projects And Endorsing DAP Call For Democracy By Giving DAP A Moral Victory In Reducing BN Majority By 481 Votes Despite Fighting The Entire Machinery Of The Malaysian Government

The 9,623 registered Machap voters are the real victors in yesterday’s by-election. Not only were Machap voters promised or given tens of millions of ringgit in development projects and benefits, they were also able to endorse DAP’s call for democracy by giving DAP a moral victory in reducing BN’s majority by 481 votes.

This is a substantial achievement when DAP increased our votes at the expense of BN despite the benefits to the people of:-

a) Newly paved roads all over Machap;

b) Hundreds of new street lamps;

c) A RM 1.2 million recreational area near the Durian Tunggal Dam;

d) 102 grants for housing lots for second-generation settler families at Felda Tun Ghafar Machap;

e) RM3.7 million will be allocated to Felda Machap with RM3 million for upgrading water pipes, RM600,000 for the construction of a multipurpose hall and RM100,000 to repair the mosque;

f) approved the application for 7,000 square feet of land by 50 second-generation Chinese settlers with a 99-year lease and a low premium of RM12,500;

g) approved the 20-year-long demand of Machap Baru villagers to build 80 units of low- and medium-cost houses, which will be sold at price below RM60,000 each;

h) Ministry of housing and local government’s special allocation of RM650,000 to upgrade roads and drainage system and to build a new air-conditioned hall;

i) RM 400,000 to relocate the telecomunnications tower in Machap Umboo to build a new replacement and unspecified amount to extend the land grant lease to 69 years from the present 34 years with reasonable land premiums;

j) Health ministry will spend RM160,000 to upgrade clinics in Machap; and

k) Education Ministry will give no less than RM50,000 to each of the three Chinese primary schools in the constituency.

Further BN’s tactics of fear, intimidation and vote buying were successful, especially in Tebong where BN’s votes increased to 1,037 votes from 992 votes whilst DAP remained almost unchanged at 165 votes from 162 votes in the 2004 general elections. Clearly BN’s victory is without honour as they would still have won (though perhaps not by 4,081 votes) without needing to resort to such dirty tactics. Continue reading “Machap by-election – the real victors”

The 9,623 voters of Machap has the historic opportunity to make the April 12 by-election the most important and meaningful by-election in 50 years of national independence by voting solidly for justice, integrity, good governance, democracy and fair play for all Malaysians — by voting for the DAP candidate Liou Chen Kuang.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak described Machap as “a BN stronghold” when announcing the Barisan Nasional candidate Lai Meng Chong yesterday while the Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam is so supremely confident about the support of the Machap voters that he had declared that he would ensure that the DAP candidate would lose his deposit in the by-election.

There can be three scenarios on polling day on April 12.

First scenario – a landslide victory for the Barisan Nasional and a shattering defeat for the DAP, with Mohd Ali Rustam achieving his declared objective of ensuring that the DAP candidate loses his deposit in the by-election. Continue reading “April 12 Machap by-election – three scenarios”

I made my first visit to Machap – which is to have a by-election – yesterday and spoke to enthusiastic villagers at the DAP dinner-ceramah at Kampong Permai Machap Umboo New Village.

Before my trip, I had received an email from “anak permai” writing on behalf of “The Villagers of Kampung Permai Machap Umboo” asking me to raise a long-standing injustice to the people in the new village — the issue of 60-year leasehold titles when it should be for 99 years.

As I had promised to “anak permai” in my email reply, I raised the issue at my first opportunity when during my visit yesterday, calling on the Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam to resolve the issue before by-election polling day on April 12. This is the email from “anak permai”: Continue reading “First by-election job for Malacca CM — extend Kampung Permai Machap Umboo NV leasehold titles from 60 to 99 yrs”