A people’s politician who never forgot his humble beginnings – Tun Ghafar’s concern about corruption and money politics in his final years should give new inspiration for a genuine and all-out war under the Ninth Malaysia Plan  to establish national integrity and combat corruption to place Malaysia among the world’s ten least corrupt nations by 2020

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Speech on the condolence motion on the passing of
former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Ghafar Baba

by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Monday) : I rise to give support to the Prime Minister’s motion of condolence on the passing of one of the very few surviving giants of the struggle for national Independence.

I wish to extend DAP’s deepest condolence to the family of Tun Ghafar on their bereavement, which is also a national loss of a great Malaysian son.

Ghafar had had a most illustrious political career, rising not only to become the Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO Deputy President, he was also for a short time, the President of MCA!

The late Tun Ghafar never forgot his humble beginnings and was always a people’s politician.

He stood out among all politicians in his steadfastness and commitment to be with the people, when he declined all titles and honours offered to him in his four decades of active political life – until after his political retirement.

Even in his final years, despite his ailing health, he continued to be in the very forefront in his concern for the welfare and future of the people and country.

One of the concerns in his final years was about corruption and money politics, particularly his proposal that if money politics could not be rooted out, then it should be curbed by offering all the key UMNO positions for public auction.

Ghafar’s concern about corruption and money politics in his final years should give new inspiration for  the waging of a genuine and all-out war under the Ninth Malaysia Plan  to establish national integrity and combat corruption to place Malaysia among the world’s ten least corrupt nations by 2020.

(24/04/2006)