Call on all contending candidates to close ranks and rally behind the leadership of Liew Chin Tong and Teo Nie Ching to take Johore DAP to new heights – which is to be the front-line state for DAP and Pakatan Harapan to win the 15th General Election to begin to fulfil the Malaysian Dream
I will not be able to attend the Johore DAP State Convention in Batu Pahat on Sunday, May 2, 2021 as I am in Covid-19 quarantine for 10 days from April 30 to May 9.
I would therefore be unable to cast my vote at the Johore DAP State Elections.
I have no Covid-19, but I was in contact with someone tested positive for Covid-19.
The Johore State Convention is an important milestone in the DAP’s struggle to forge an united world-class great Malaysian nation since 1966.
For more than six decades, Johore was the fort of the Alliance and its component parties – UMNO, MCA and MIC.
Johore had 1.8 million registered voters but it got the most number of parliamentary seats, more than Selangor which had 2.4 million registered votes but allocated 22 parliamentary seats as compared to 26 parliamentary seats for Johore.
Why? Because Johore was regarded as invincible strongholds of UMNO, MCA and MIC and that even if UMNO, MCA or MIC candidates fell in other states in general elections, UMNO, MCA and MIC candidates will stand tall, strong and win in Johore.
That was until the 13th General Election in 2013 and 14th General Election in 2018.
Before the 13th General Election, all the DAP could win was one parliamentary seat – Kluang in 1978 General Election (Lee Kaw) and Bakri in the 2008 General Election (Er Teck Hwa).
In the 13th General Election, DAP won four parliamentary seats – Bakri (Er Teck Hwa), Kluang (Liew Chin Tong), Kulai (Teo Nie Ching) and Gelang Patah (Lim Kit Siang). In the 14th General Election, we won five parliamentary seats – Bakri (Yeo Bee Yin), Kluang (Wong Shu Qi), Labis (Pang Hok Liong), Kulai (Teo Nie Ching) and Iskandar Puteri (Lim Kit Siang).
The sea-change for DAP in Johore was due to the vision and courage of Liew Chin Tong, who worked tirelessly from 2012 to transform Johore from the invincible fort of Alliance into the frontline for DAP in the quest for the Malaysian Dream for Malaysia to be an united world-class nation.
This transformation can be seen from the results of the three last general elections for the Johore state assembly. Before 2013, the most number of State Assembly seats won by the DAP were four seats – Bentayan (Quee Tong Hiang), Mengkibol (Ng Lam Hua), Skudai (Boo Cheng Hau) and Senai (Ong Kow Meng).
In the 13th General Election, DAP won 13 State Assembly seats which increased to 14 seats in the 14th General Election.
Teo Nie Ching is one of among over 20 Malaysians who became Member of Parliament or State Assembly person before they were thirty years old – a mark that the DAP will always represent the youths of Malaysia, without forgetting the interests of all age groups. Nie Ching went on to become Deputy Education Minister in the 22-month Pakatan Harapan government to scale new heights.
Chin Tong and Nie Ching have issued a joint declaration expressing their confidence that after braving the political ups and downs for over 50 years, Johore DAP will flourish under a strong leadership.
They pledged their commitment to unleash the potential of DAP Johore to spearhead a national movement to make the nation better and stronger, with two objectives,viz:
- Winning Johor to ensure national victory; and
- Johor leads the national transformation of DAP.
- preparing for GE15;
- preparing to govern;
- make DAP a multiracial party;
- party building and transformation - from grocery store to hypermarket; and
- be the natural political home for youths and women.
Chin Tong and Nie Ching are right. As they said:
“Malaysia is in an unprecedented triple crisis of politics, economy and health.
“The old political order has collapsed, including UMNO’s model of one-party dominance. In 2018, we successfully created a miracle and defeated the old political order.
“2021 is not the time to be cynical nor pessimistic, it is now time for us to come together and create a new order that allows for all Johoreans and Malaysians to enjoy a stable and prosperous nation in the next decade.
“This is the DAP’s duty to the nation and its people.
“DAP’s journey is never smooth sailing but we always march on fearlessly in the face of adversity and achieve the impossible.
“We humbly call upon all Johor DAP members to unite and join us in leading the party and our coalition partners in this journey towards winning GE15 and governing again, and to transform DAP from a grocery shop to a hypermarket – starting from Johor.”
I endorse the declaration by Chin Tong and Nie Ching. This is the substance of the Malaysian Dream.
Chin Tong is not perfect. He has his faults – just as we must all be humble to recognise our weaknesses.
We have made our criticisms and given our views on how the DAP in Johore can scale new heights.
I therefore call on all MPs, State Assembly members and contending candidates to close ranks and rally behind the leadership of Liew Chin Tong and Teo Nie Ching to take Johore DAP to new heights – which is to be the front-line state for DAP and Pakatan Harapan to win the 15th General Election to begin to fulfil the Malaysian Dream.