1) Multi-religious Nation but Secular System of
Governance
Malaysia is a multi-racial and multi-religious
country with Islam as the official religion. We respect and
accept that as the fundamental basis for nation-building in
Malaysia. While we are not anti-Islam or any other religion, we
oppose any effort to turn Malaysia into an Islamic State in the
same way we oppose any effort to establish a Buddhist, Hindu or
Christian State in Malaysia. In short, we believe that the
system of governance should not be based on any religion.
Presently, we can see a trend towards increasing
Islamisation. If this unhealthy development is not curbed, it
may well jeopardize the secular system of governance and freedom
of religion in our country. The top agenda of nation-building
should be to advance a modern, progressive and united Malaysia
and not to push for the establishment of an Islamic state which
will create a dichotomy between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Today, the DAP is the only political party in
Malaysia that is still standing firm in our opposition towards
the setting up of an Islamic State.
2) A True Bangsa Malaysia
DAPSY advocates a Malaysian Malaysia where each
and every citizen of the country enjoys equal treatment without
any discrimination by reason of race, religion, class or gender.
Compared to the past, the present generation of Malaysians today
is more segregated along racial and religious lines than ever.
Although there has been a lot of rhetoric about
national unity and racial integration, the fact is that we are
still a long way from the vision of a true “Bangsa Malaysia”,
where we think of ourselves as Malaysians first rather than
Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban or others. This is a
testimony to the failure of the
BN government’s nation-building policies.
A true “Bangsa Malaysia” can only be realized if
every Malaysian is treated equally and
enjoys the same rights and opportunities in every aspects
of life. Hence, DAPSY calls for an end to the “bumiputra/non-bumiputra”
policy so that every Malaysian is subject to the same equal
treatment. The practice of preferential treatment – whether in
the award of government contracts, promotions in the civil
service such as the police, the armed forces and the judiciary,
or admission into public universities –
should be discontinued. The same goes for race-based
affirmative action. Only then can we have true meritocracy and
achieve genuine national unity.
3) Equal Opportunity for
Tertiary Education
Today, tertiary education is
no longer a luxury but a basic need for young Malaysians as a
stepping stone to a better
future. We can boast of the “world-class infrastructure” in the
country, but sadly, there are only 17 public universities for a
population of nearly 25 million. This is why over the years many
parents have had to dig deep into their pockets to fund their
children’s tertiary education in private colleges locally or
universities overseas.
Although the government has
replaced the “quota-based system” for admission into public
universities with one that is “merit-based”, the new system is
not truly meritorious.
This is because students are accepted
from both STPM and matriculation courses. Compared to the
STPM which is recognised as one of the most difficult
examinations, the matriculation course
is a coursework-based programme that is not as challenging. To
put the two completely different systems into the same basket
for selection is like comparing an apple with an orange.
DAPSY is the most vocal
political youth wing in the country calling for the abolishment
of the two different examination systems as criteria for
university admission and its replacement with a common
examination system for all students vying for places in the
public universities. Such an
examination system should also take into account students
from the Chinese independent schools who sit for the Unified
Examinations Certificate to ensure that they are not deprived
of
the chance to study in local public universities. All
Malaysian students should have equal opportunity to secure a
place in a public university.
4) An Open Society
An open and liberal
policy is essential for the development of society as a whole.
History has proven that societies which are unreceptive to
changes and reforms will weaken and decline. DAPSY believes that
Malaysian society has been slow to embrace liberalisation and
democratisation. This has much to do with the 50-year
authoritarian rule of the BN government, which restricts and
discourages the people from expressing their views openly
through the imposition of oppressive and draconian legislation.
As a result, our society suffers from lack of freedom of speech
and expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and
parliamentary democracy.
DAPSY believes that in order to push Malaysia
towards greater liberalisation and democratisation, the various
laws that inhibit the exercise of fundamental liberties should
be repealed. There should be a strong Opposition in Parliament
to provide important checks and balances to the BN government
and prevent them from enacting more oppressive laws. It is
DAPSY’s belief that only when society is liberal, open and
democratic can the aspiration and creativity of youth be fully
realised, which will provide the impetus for nation-building.
5) Career Opportunity and Protection of Workers
Career opportunity is one of the main concerns of
every young Malaysian. Unlike a job, a career is something
everyone looks forward to as it not only
provides financial independence
but also human development. Although the unemployment rate has
yet to reach an alarming rate, we cannot take things for granted
as the country must be prepared to face the challenges of
globalization, which is likely to take its toll in the near
future.
We must increase the competitiveness of our workforce to compete
on a regional level when the Asean Free Trade Area (AFTA)
agreement comes into force, as well as on a global level.
Although Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is important to our
economic growth, we should not compromise on the basic rights of
workers. Therefore, a basic safety net should be provided by the
government for workers.
DAPSY believes that creative thinking and
proficiency in English and Chinese are crucial in producing a
competitive, educated workforce. For this to happen, our
education system needs to be overhauled so that quality
education is ensured. To create a vibrant job market, the
government must also diversify its economic sectors with more
emphasis placed on value-added products and services.
DAPSY calls on the government to:
-
make available more start-up
funds for aspiring young entrepreneurs to invest in new
industries.
-
enforce a minimum wage and
collective bargaining for blue-collar workers to ensure that
the lower income segment of the society will not be
marginalised in the process of industrialisation.
-
affirm the right of workers of
every industry to form unions to protect their collective
interests.
-
implement a more effective
policy to put a stop to the influx of illegal immigrant
workers, and
observe and respect basic human rights when deporting
them.
6) Affordable ICT for All
DAPSY recognises the
importance of information and communications technology (ICT) as
the driving force in the new economy. IT should not just be a
tool but also a way of life. Compared to neighbouring countries
like Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea, Malaysia is still
lagging behind in terms of ICT.
In
fact, DAP was the first
the political party in Malaysia to launch a website,
back in
1996. The party’s top leadership adopted “IT For All” as
a national policy objective in 1997. The Multimedia Super
Corridor (MSC) was launched in the
mid-1990s to make Malaysia an IT hub but
how successful is it today?
DAPSY calls on the
government to provide accessible and affordable ICT goods and
services. Although “so-called broadband” Internet rates have
been reduced, the government has not reviewed or even reduced
dial-up connection fees. In addition, unstable connection speed
is something we have to put up with, as we cannot switch to a
better service provider because of the monopoly by
government-owned entities.
DAPSY calls on the
government to:
-
Provide consumers with more
choice and more competitive service by allowing other Internet
service providers into the industry
-
Focus
on expanding ICT services to the rural areas, in order to
narrow the IT gap between urban and rural youth.
7) Eradicating Corruption
Fighting corruption has always been an important
part of the party’s struggle inside and outside Parliament. DAP
and DAPSY leaders have played the role of “whistleblower” in
exposing the many corruption scandals and abuses of power by the
BN government, helping the nation save huge amounts of public
funds.
To demonstrate our commitment to eradicate
corruption, DAPSY proposes that a new legislation be passed to
confer greater independence on the Anti Corruption Agency to
investigate incidences of corruption and to make the agency
answerable to Parliament and not be subjected to the control of
the Prime Minister’s Department.
We also call on the government to enact a law to
confiscate properties obtained through corruption, abolish the
Official Secrets Act and
encourage the media to play a more positive role in highlighting
and monitoring corruption investigation reports.
8) Sustainable Development
Throughout the BN
administration, many development projects have been carried out
with scant regard for the environment. Trees have been felled
and buildings constructed without observing the principles of
sustainable development, causing grave damage to the ecosystem.
The people still have to put up with flash floods, pollution,
vanishing green lungs and murky water supply.
Although Malaysia is a signatory to Agenda 21 –
an action plan for sustainable development which aims to improve
our quality of life through the use of renewable resources,
reducing waste, conserving the biodiversity of our planet and
changing the way we think in order to tackle environmental,
social and economic problems - we have seen very little
commitment by the BN administration to embrace the principles of
Agenda 21 wholeheartedly.
DAPSY believes that
economic development must be balanced by environmental
protection and preservation to ensure quality living. We propose
the following measures:
-
The imposition of an
“environmental greening taxation” where traders who recycle
and reuse resources in order to reduce waste will enjoy lower
taxes
-
All Environment Impact
Assessment reports should be carried out in a transparent
manner by independent agencies.
-
The local community should be
given incentives to promote environmental activities and
policies.
-
There must be effective
enforcement of the law on individuals/organizations which
cause harm to the environment.
“Sustainable
Development is development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.”
9) Safer Public
Environment
DAPSY is concerned with
the increasing crime rate in the country. The incidence of young
ladies in particular falling victim to snatch thefts, rape,
molest and murder is alarmingly high. DAPSY believes that the
authorities have not done enough to reduce crime and the fear of
crime, or improve public security.
In order to create a
safer public environment, we propose the following:
-
The police should increase its
patrols to protect the property and personal security of the
public, especially young ladies.
-
The police should rectify its
inefficient resource management and coordination by assigning
more personnel towards fighting crime and improving public
safety.
-
Local authorities should also
adopt an approach that is geared towards crime-prevention in
its infrastructure planning, design and regulation such as
erecting more lamp posts, pedestrian walkways and police beat
bases.
10) National Service
The national service programme
proposed by the government has resulted in a lot of confusion
and anxiety amongst parents and selected trainees. DAPSY
disapproves of the haphazard manner in which the programme is
implemented. We share the concerns of parents and students
who are in the dark over many
important aspects of the programme due to
bad planning by the government.
When the National Service
Training Bill was debated in Parliament in June 2002, DAP
Members of Parliament had expressed the party’s doubts and
reservations about the many shortcomings of the programme and
asked that it be deferred to obtain more public feedback and
consultation instead of rushing
through the programme. As expected, the BN government did
not heed our warning and the legislation was
hastily passed.
One pertinent question that
should be asked is this: If the
objectives of patriotism, national unity and racial integration
among our youth cannot be achieved through
11 years of schooling, what
makes the government think that they can be realised in three
short months?
DAPSY will continue to keep
tabs on the implementation of the programme and address the
concerns of parents and trainees.
11) Greater Artistic and Cultural Expression
The boundless
imagination and creativity of our youth is one of Malaysia’s
most valuable assets. Instead of stifling artistic and cultural
expression, the authorities should encourage the development of
the creative arts by allowing it to flourish.
The strict censorship
policy of the authorities has resulted in the ban of a number of
movies such as Daredevil and Prince of Egypt, as
well as theatre plays like The Vagina Monologues. Instant
Café’s Bolehwood Awards were criticised for being
“culturally insensitive” and their license was revoked by DBKL
and later reinstated. Tighter restrictions have since been
introduced for all forms of theatrical productions. Printed
literature too has not been spared – many classics are
categorized as prohibited items.
DAPSY believes that the
authorities should allow and support a free and open environment
for the proper development of all fields of artistic endeavour
as well as make them accessible to all levels of society.
12) Promoting a
Socially and Morally Healthy Youth
The increase in social
ills among Malaysian youth is a worrying development. Over the
years, the percentage of youth who exhibit behavioural
problems and engage in
unhealthy activities such as loafing, arson, drug abuse, theft
and even violent crimes (such as sexual assault and murder) has
escalated. Teenage pregnancies are also on the rise. All these
are symptomatic of the decay in moral and social values in our
youth, which in turn can be attributed to dysfunctional
families, parental neglect and lack of parental care and
guidance as well as socio-economic poverty, as case studies have
shown.
DAPSY believes that
urgent steps must be taken to curb the rise of social ills among
our youth, particularly as they are the future leaders of the
nation:
-
Efforts must be made to
strengthen the family institution which is the primary unit of
society.
-
Greater emphasis should be given
to moral and religious education to help cultivate a healthy
value system among our youth.
-
Sexual
health education should be made part of the national education
syllabus to educate our youth on the problems of unsafe and
pre-marital sex, which can result in unwanted pregnancies and
sexually transmitted diseases.
What You Can Do
-
Make sure you
register as a voter. On polling day, vote
for the DAP to increase the
party’s representation in Parliament
and the state assemblies.
-
Help spread
the word to your friends and relatives about the issues that
the party stands for. Convince them to rally behind the DAP.
-
Join us in
our campaign. If you are not ready
to sign up as a party member, you can still assist us
as a volunteer during the
election campaign. Unlike the BN, we have limited resources
and would appreciate all the help we can get.
-
Support us
financially. We would be grateful if you could donate to us
generously to support our cause. Election campaigns require a
lot of funds and the support from the public can help ease our
financial burden.
-
Organize
discussion groups. If you have friends who are interested to
find out more about the party and its policies, you are most
welcome to contact us.
http://dapmalaysia.org