Speech by Lim Guan Eng during the handing over ceremony of RM 10,000 each of Hari Raya contribution to PDRM and armed forces in Komtar George Town on Tuesday, 8^th September 2009: 

A two-party system is essential towards establishing a healthy functioning democracy and a people-centric government 

Malaysians who support the establishment of a healthy functioning democracy and a people-centric government must accept the role and existence of a two-party in our political governance. As government agencies, we are bound by our duty to serve the people and respect their wishes of wanting a two-party system to provide “checks and balances”.

The Penang state government is happy to give this small contribution in recognition of the efforts of our police and army personnel to ensure public order, personal safety and national security.

The actions of the few who use intimidation to grab what they fail to achieve in the elections is regrettable. There can be no policy-making by intimidation or else there is no government. There must be respect for the rule of law to formulate policies for wealth creation and distribution that is effective and efficient.

Only when there is rule of law, can we pursue prosperity by stressing on competitiveness and excellence, train and retain the best talent and maximise our use of resources. There is no golden rule how that is to be done. But everyone agrees that we must have mindsets that are open to new ideas and change.

It has always been said that small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events and great minds discuss ideas. How then do we inculcate great minds that generate new ideas that will lead to greater creativity and innovation? We need a new mindset to change and the creativity that celebrates diversity.

Our new mindsets respect values, cultures and religion of our multi-racial society and are united by our intolerance for corruption, crime, discrimination and injustice. And one of the new ideas is acceptance of diversity and dissenting views as embodied in a two-party system to achieve a healthy functioning democracy.

*Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary-General & Penang Chief Minister; Member of Parliament for Bagan