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Gearing up for the General Election
 
Opening Speech
- at the Malacca DAP State Ordinary Convention
by Kerk Kim Hock

(Kota Melaka, Sunday): The Prime Minister will retire as planned and it is widely expected that the next general election will be held in March or April next year.  

As the results of the next general election will have great impact on the future of the nation, Malaysians and the DAP, we must continue to gear up for the general election. 

 

I am confident that we will fare better in our overall national performance if we are able to fulfil the following three basic conditions: 

 

  1. to devise a correct and effective election strategy
  2. to put up a credible and strong candidate line up
  3. to carry out thorough preparation

 

Hence, all states must ensure that their election mode must be in the final gear for the final push beginning 1.11.2003. We must not only ensure that we are ready for the final push beginning 1 November, we must also ensure that we are able to sustain the momentum and to peak when the election is actually held.

 

Of course, the above conditions will also require the existence of other pre conditions like internal unity.

 

 

Threats faced by Malacca DAP

 

Malacca DAP has often become the envy of comrades in other states not only because of the good performance of the elected representatives, diligence of the members but also the strong support of the people.

 

This however does not mean that Malacca DAP did not have any internal dispute or problem in the past. There were plenty. But come each general election, the voters would unite and rally around the Party in spite of all these problems.

 

However, we must not take the people’s support for granted and think that they will always rally behind us, especially so when the Barisan Nasional has boasted that they now see the chance to make a clean sweep of the state and parliamentary seats in the coming general election.

 

BN ‘ confidence may sound as arrogance to many but we must never think that there is no basis for such arrogance because:

 

  1. the BN’s aggressive attacks, including the practice of money politics in the Kota Melaka areas for the last two years, have been unprecedented since the 1969 general election
  2. the recent delineation exercise has seen the addition of 3700 new voters, majority of whom are Barisan Nasional Malay supporters, into the Kota Melaka parliamentary constituency
  3. the continued Malacca DAP internal dispute has tarnished the Party’s image and credibility.

 

We have no way of stopping the aggressive attacks of the Barisan Nasional . In fact, we will see more and more political attacks from the BN. The  unfair delineation exercise has been approved by the Parliament with BN’s brute majority despite our strong protest.

 

However, we can still surmount the third problem because the solution lies in our hands.

 

Many supporters have assured me that if we remain united, the BN ‘s dream of wanting to wipe out the Malacca DAP will never succeed.

 

Let me assure the supporters that we do not ignore their appeals and voices.

 

Contrary to the general belief that the Central Executive Committee (CEC) has not made much efforts to resolve the dispute in Malacca DAP and given that more and supporters are calling for a quick resolution of such dispute, let me make it public for the first time that the CEC has in fact twice, in 2001 and early this year, appointed national leaders and party veterans to attempt to resolve the internal problem in Malacca DAP.

 

Though more time is needed to achieve a complete resolution, past efforts have actually helped to contain the problem. We are nevertheless mindful of the fact that time is running out fast before we have to face the next general election.

 

We must therefore do all the necessary to completely resolve the Malacca internal dispute. I will propose to the coming CEC meeting to set up a new and high-powered Committee to resolve the internal dispute.

 

 

Total unity in facing the next general election

 

The coming general election is a crucial battle where we must lead the people to defend the democratic and secular constitutional basis of our nation. .

 

Let us therefore, in one voice, tell the Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Mohd Ali Rastam that the Malacca DAP will fight the BN as a united team in the next general election.  

 

Let us, in the same stride, tell the brave Malaccans who have been supporting us that we will not take their support for granted .We will not disappoint them.

 

Let us be united to smash the BN ‘s ambition of wanting to wipe out the Malacca DAP.

 

It is with a heavy heart that I have chosen to focus the Malacca internal dispute problem in my speech here today as we can no longer be seen as not addressing the appeals, concerns and worries of our supporters.

 

Our supporters have made the calls for us to be united. They have said this long time ago, they have said it so many times, too many times. 

 

Our love for the Party, our commitment for a Malaysian Malaysia and our appreciation for the people’s support must prevail over all obstacles.

 

My doctors have assured me that I have very good chances of complete recovery from my rectal cancer. I must confess I sometimes do fear about any possible recurrence.

 

What fears me more and most is that due to our own disunity, Malacca DAP is wiped out in the next general election-- a crucial battle where we want the people to speak loud and clear about preserving Malaysia as a democratic and secular nation.

 

Nobody can defeat us except the people and ourselves. I am confident that the people will continue to support us if we are united. Lets not destroy the Party because of our lack of unity.

 

United we triumph. Divided we fall.

(5/10/2003)

* Kerk Kim Hock, DAP Secretary General and MP for Kota Melaka