Let us not steal our children's future but give them hope, teach them love and build their confidence that they can be as good as they want and not be inferior or left behind merely on account of the colour of their skin

Conference media statement by Lim Guan Eng in Komtar, George Town on Wednesday, 27^th April 2011:

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should read in full my 2011 Penang Easter Message and not be misled by lies spread by an UMNO blog run by an UMNO leader. I enclose herewith the relevant excerpt of my Easter Message:-

"...We need to change. Change for the better. To change is difficult but not to change is fatal. We need a change of mindset of treating every Malaysian as facing common problems and aspirations. We must celebrate our differences and our diversity.

We should move away from the mindtrap of fear based on hate, racism, extremism. We should not be taught to fear diversity. We should not be brainwashed with Hitlerian ideas that one is superior to another merely because of the colour of our skin.

We must have the courage to change.

Malaysians are ready to embrace change; change for the better. Malaysians no longer want to live under a situation where freedom is curtailed, human rights infringed, and abuse of power, corruption and mismanagement are rampant.

In the recent Sarawak state election, Sarawakians have decided that enough is enough. Sarawakians want good governance, end to corrupton, empowered by democracy, equal opportunity and justice for all.

Just as Easter signifies a renewal of life, Faith, hope and love can drive home a victory against ignorance, fear and oppression."(end of message)

Is it wrong to oppose Hitler or Hilterian areas of racial supremacy or dominance? I challenge any BN politician to state where in the Malaysian Federal Constitution supports or permits racial supremacy or dominance.

DAP and the PR state government opposes any form of racial supremacy or dominance, whether it is Chinese supremacy, Indian supremacy or Malay supremacy. We only believe in the supremacy of the rakyat and the people.

I reiterate that we should give our children hope, teach them love and build their confidence that they can be as good as they want and not be inferior or left behind merely on account of the colour of their skin.

Malaysians despair when some politicians tell our children that they can never be good enough, that they need special rights and favours to survive just because of the colour of their skin. How do we build up a child's confidence if we instil this sense of inferiority that they need special assistance, especially when this special assistance never comes?

Malaysian parents are also anguished that no matter how well their child performs, he will never be chosen and rewarded on account of the colour of their skin. How do you explain to your little girl why she can not get a place into a premier institution even though she scores good results?

There is nothing so cruel as to steal a child's future. There is nothing so soul-destroying as to deny a child the opportunity to realise his or her full potential.

I believe that every Malaysian child whether Malay, Chinese and Indian, Iban or Kadazan can be the best and compete against the world. We must encourage everyone to strive the hardest and do their best. Then only can our country progress.

Have we not learnt our lessons for failing to harness our human talents and tapping their expertise? Do we want to see more Malaysians migrating as more than 2 million have done so since 1957? Increasingly more and more professional Malays are leaving.

Look at the success of Singapore in surpassing Malaysia for the first time in 2010 as the 3rd largest economy in ASEAN after Indonesia and Thailand. Despite having no resources, Singapoare GDP this year as grown to US$210 billion compared to Malaysia's US$205 billion.

Malaysia is 478 times the size of the republic and its population, at 27 million, 5 times larger than its tiny neighbour's 4.8 million. Can Malaysia catch up when Singapore's GDP per capita was US$36,537 (up from US$512 in 1965) compared with Malaysia's US$ 6,975 (US$ 335 in 1965)?

We can if we start building human talent and retaining them. We must give hope that our children can live better than their parents. Let us inspire hope by stressing on performance not privilege, expertise not entitlement and integrity not corruption.

Let us be bonded by our common aspirations for justice, freedom, truth, democracy and social welfare for the weak and poor. Let us build a future for our children to live in a cleaner, greener and smarter Malaysia.

*Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary General & MP for Bagan