DAP Secretary-General, Lim Guan Eng’s message in the run-up to the DAP Special Congress 2013

I had meant to send out this letter earlier in urging all branches and DAP central committee delegates to attend the National Special Congress for re-elections of our Central Executive Committee(CEC) on 29th September 2013 at One World Hotel in Bandar Utama, Selangor to ensure our party’s continued survival. Let there be no doubt that ROS has not given up on threatening DAP’s existence.

However due to the machinations of UMNO-controlled Registrar Of Societies (ROS), we wanted to be as current as possible with the series of dirty tactics used against DAP. Let there be no doubt that these dirty tactics to sabotage the party re-elections, undermine the party’s credibility and the leadership’s integrity is an act of political vengeance for DAP’s successes in the 13th General Elections.

Let me recap events for the record. The DAP leadership had taken full responsibility by rectifying the mistake made in the announcement by the then Returning Officer Sdr Pooi Weng Keong of the elected CEC at the last National Congress in Penang on 15-16 December 2012. The mistake was not exposed by outsiders but were discovered internally and the DAP leadership had truthfully admitted and corrected the mistake. The corrected results were certified by an international accounting firm.

The ROS had tried to exploit the DAP’s leadership honesty by using this as a pretext not to recognize the elected CEC on the eve of the nomination day of the 13th general elections on 20.4.2013. As this would prevent the DAP Secretary-General from authorizing the use of our party symbol, the DAP announced that it would use the PAS symbol instead. Facing a huge public backlash at such dirty tactics, the ROS backed off and said that the DAP can still use the party symbol.

After our historic victories in the general elections, UMNO used the ROS to fix up the DAP by directing re-elections. Initially the party leadership decided to fight ROS in court when ROS refused to give reasons nor see our leaders seeking an explanation on the reasons for holding party re-elections.

Whilst confident of success in court, National Chair Sdr Karpal Singh got wind that the ROS will use our challenge in court against the ROS’ illegal decision as a pretext to deregister the DAP. Even though Sdr Karpal was confident of winning in court, the battle is not so much legal as it is political.

The DAP leadership decided that even if we finally win in court, the party cannot afford to be in limbo and be de-registered during the time of at least a year it takes for the matter to be decided in court. The existence of the DAP cannot be put at risk. Leaders can lose their freedom and be imprisoned but the DAP must not be de-registered.

For that reason the painful decision was taken to hold re-elections, even though the party leadership had done no wrong. The same candidates and the same delegate list used last year will be the qualifying list. All members of the new and old CEC took the same united position on the developing crisis threatening the party’s survival and unanimously agreed to the re-elections based on the same candidates and delegate list.

MP for Serdang Sdr Dr Ong Kian Ming has been appointed the Returning Officer and an international accounting firm PKF International will monitor the election process from the sending of notification for the National Special Congress to the counting of votes to ensure that it is error-free.

The Party Constitution empowers the holding of elections in a National Special Congress. The very people involved in urging the DAP to abide by the ROS ruling to hold re-elections are now involved in trying to prevent and sabotage the holding of re-elections. They have challenged the holding of re-elections by filing for an injunction in court which will be heard on 25 September 2013.

If these saboteurs succeed, then the National Special Congress will be postponed. Otherwise the National Special Congress will be held on 29th September 2013. Even if these saboteurs fail, they will not give up. For this reason, there must be a good attendance by party delegates to repudiate and repel once and for all this attempt to destroy the DAP, what BN and UMNO is unable to do in the general elections.

DAP is the one party that has walked the talk, practice what we preached and delivered on our principles and policies. Clearly we have proven we can govern better than BN.

DAP represents the hopes of Malaysians and the future for our young. Let us do justice to their hopes of a brighter future by ensuring the survival of the DAP to keep alive the Malaysian dream of equal opportunity for everyone to prosper in peace and succeed by hard work.

See you at One World Hotel, Bandar Utama in Selangor on 29 September 2013!