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Press Statement

by Lim Guan Eng

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(Petaling Jaya, Monday): DAP welcomes professionals from all races and religions joining DAP to strengthen the party’s cause for democratic, free, just and honest government that respects Malaysians as its master. This week alone amongst professionals who have joined the DAP are:

1.    Dr Cheah Wing Yin from Petaling Jaya. Dr Cheah is a 53 year old doctor and psychiatrist. Dr Chaeah also obtained a Masters of Business Administration from University of Bath, United Kingdom in 1999. Dr Cheah was a lecturer at the Medical Faculty of University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) from 1986-1992, a  former of the President of Private Medical Practitioners Association of Selangor/Kuala Lumpur and a former President of the Malaysian Mental Health Association.

2.    Dr Ganesh Poopalasingam from Balakong, a 42-year old veterinarian who graduated from University Pertanian Malaysia; and

3.    Mr Yap Tze Voon from Puchong, a 38 year old accountant with ACCA from United Kingdom.

These are successful professionals who joined DAP not for personal gain but for the people’s wish to have good governance, clean administration and competent leaders. They are all disgusted by the antics of sexist and racist BN MPs who treat Parliament like a circus and behave like clowns who denigrate women and minorities. 

Most important of all, they are concerned that after 50 years of Merdeka, Malaysia is still trapped by political and historical burdens such as the New Economic Policy(NEP). The NEP has been discredited both locally and internationally including the European Union Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Thierry Rommel. Failure to end the NEP is more critical when Malaysia will become a net importer by 2010. 

The twin impediments of the anti-competition, anti-growth and anti-trade NEP as well as declining oil reserves are huge challenges that the Malaysian government has not even begun to address. Oil revenues make up 40% of our yearly national income. According to the 2007 Budgetary estimates by the Ministry of Finance, Malaysia revenue’s this year is estimated to be RM 134,815 million in 2007. Of this, oil and gas amounts to RM 53,730 million. 

This oil revenue has allowed Malaysia to cushion the negative impact from mismanagement, wastage of public funds and corruption scandals that have plagued Malaysian society and would otherwise have crippled Malaysia’s economy. When Malaysia become an oil importer, one wonders how Malaysia is going to fill in the 40% gap in the nation’s finances. 

DAP proposes that we abandon the NEP vision of national unity based on race and religion and pursue a Malaysian First economic policy emphasizing on harnessing our competitive advantages, human resources and Bangsa Malaysia. Unless we discard political burdens such as the NEP into the dustbin we shall end up in the rubbish bin of history. As I have said on Malaysian First,

“We have a historical duty to renew our struggle for a Bangsa Malaysia. However this contest must not be seen solely from the perspective of political rights or social injustices but also from the economic perspective of wealth creation and distribution. Malaysian First is a continuation of Malaysian Malaysia with equal economic opportunity as its central core. 

Equal opportunity is not just giving everyone the right to study, the right to work, right to spend what is earned, right to own property and have the state as a servant and not as a master but also about our obligation to help the needy.  No one is fated to be poor just as no one is entitled to wealth. Social justice gives everyone the opportunity to improve their standard of living.  

We must free up the potential of our greatest resource - our human resources. We must empower every Malaysian with economic freedom and equal opportunity to achieve the great Malaysian Dream of success through hard work and ability. 

If we succeed, we can transform Malaysia into a united nation identified with a common destiny sharing values of democracy, freedom, justice, integrity and human dignity. If we fail, we have a sham democracy that can not differentiate between right and wrong.”