In tribute of Dr. Chen Man Hin (4) – “A Tower of Strength in a Time of Darkness”
In the early years of DAP, nobody could predict that DAP would be able to survive the onslaught of the UMNO-Barisan Nasional political behemoth, which exercised political hegemony for several decades.
In fact, in the early seventies, a deputy prime minister declared that DAP was “one foot in the grave” and everyone expected the DAP to expire soon after.
But a determined and idealistic band of Malaysians was committed to the Malaysian Dream where every Malaysian, regardless of race, religion and region, is an equal Malaysian citizen and where it is possible to unite all Malaysians despite our ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural diversity, to make Malaysia a world-class great nation.
As a Malaysian scholar who studied the DAP, Michael Ong, said on Dr. Chen’s passing: “Dr. Chen was the glue that kept the party together”.
Dr. Chen was a tower of strength in a Time of Darkness during the May 13, 1969 months and DAP today is very much due to the commitment, dedication, sacrifices and idealism of Dr. Chen.
I recently came into possession of a document which showed that the various generations of DAP leadership inspired by Dr. Chen’s vision had kept faith with the original goals and principles of the DAP for more than half a century – we have not only survived against the UMNO behemoth, we have developed and grown in support of the people until the impossible happened – the toppling of the UMNO-Barisan Nasional behemoth from power in thr 13th General Election in 2018.
The document was classified for 50 years and was declassified on 24th February, 2020.
This was the statement I made to the police while in police custody at the Kuala Selangor Police Station lock-up under the Internal Security Act after I voluntarily flew back to Malaysia on 18th May 1969.
In my half-a-century of political life, I have been demonised and accused of all sorts of things – that I was the main perpetrator of the May 13, 1969 racial riots; anti-Malay; anti-Indian and even anti-Chinese; that I was a secret agent of CIA, M16, KGB and even Australian Secret Service.
The document stated the DAPs political views and objectives, and a testament of how loyal we had been to our vision of a Malaysian Dream.
I was asked about my views on the May 13, 1969 riots and this is what I said to the Police:
“View on the communal conflict – 13 May 1969
65. I do not know what sparked off the racial riots in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. However, I can only make a guess. Firstly, let me state categorically that the DAP was not in any way involved in the racial disturbances. Over the last three years, the message of the DAP leaders always emphasised the importance of avoiding racial conflict because it could benefit nobody, and no race, whether it be Malay, Chinese or Indian. The DAP was solely formed in the hope that it could render service to the masses by removing causes of racial antagonism and give every Malaysian an equal stake in the Malaysian society, irrespective of what language, culture, economics and politics each subscribed to.
66. With the electoral victories, the DAP has everything to lose if it were mad enough to want create racial riots. If it really wanted to, Malacca would probably have been one of the first places to light up in flames. For in Malacca the DAP not only had a victory procession but also a public rally. But no incidents in Malacca was recorded.
67. The DAP does not have or recruit any secret society elements or thugs in its ranks. Their presence will only bring discredit to the DAP as a whole. The DAP is dedicated to the democratic and constitutional process of political struggle. It always emphasised that if the way of the ballot-box failed, then the DAP will become irrelevant because it is incompetent in the act of violence and hand-grenade throwing. In such an eventuality, not only the Malaya Communist Party (MCP) will stand to benefit from it but also the Alliance Party will be waiting to dash in.
68. It goes against all logics and common sense that the DAP should want to create racial violence when it has just been rewarded with the Parliamentary and State success in the General Elections, and when the constitutional and democratic process is proving that it can work as a means for the people to secure a socio-political change. The very fact that the DAP was against violence is stated oft times publicly. At a Malacca public rally held on 30 Apr 1969, when explaining the DAP’s support in principle for the Internal Security Act, I said that any country must safeguard itself against any attempt by those who wished to resort to violence to overthrow the constitutional government. For this, the DAP and I were attacked bitterly by the Party Rakyat and the LPM.
69. The communal riots appeared to be a planned one. Otherwise, it would not have spread so fast, so spontaneous and so deadly, I believe that they were so planned by some irresponsible elements in the ruling party who were disappointed by their failure and the poor results achieved by the Alliance party in the General Election. In a telephone conversation with a colleague of mine in Kuala Lumpur as earlier mentioned, the MCA headquarters instructed its staff to go home on 13 May 1969 at 1600 hours in anticipation of a repetition of the Penang-type disturbances to be staged in Kuala Lumpur. An MCA handout at its public rallies carried a rocket being shot up to the sky, came down to earth, exploded and killed the people. There was bloodshed everywhere. After my press conference held in Singapore on 17 May 1969 (para 59 refers), a reporter told me that Tun Tan Siew Sin (54) at a press conference held in Kuala Lumpur stated that among other things about 10,000 Malays were about to march against and attack the Chinese. I am not prepared to reveal the name of the reporter for fear of implicating him. The foregoing illustrations invariably give rise to suspicion that Tan (54) and some MCA elements were pre-warned of the foreboding – the communal riots. However, I have nothing to substantiate my presumption but suggest that they be checked for veracity.
70. With the outbreak of the racial disturbance in Kuala Lumpur, the paramount duty of every Malaysian is to make every effort and contribution to restore multi-racial confidence and to get the country immediately back to the road of peace and interest. All DAP leaders have offered this, placing the national interest above everything else. This is the time to sink all party differences because there will be no political parties left if the whole Malaysian nation is engulfed in racial flames, becoming a second and even more terrible Nigeria.”
I was asked on my “political stand” and my “future plan”, and this is what I said:
“My Political Stand
83. Like any colleagues in the DAP, I believe:
(a) That Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural society, and that a viable Malaysian nation can only be formed if all the races and groups in the country are given an equal stake in the Malaysian sun.
(b) that in a multi-racial society like Malaysia, violence and any ideology of force, as for instance advocated by the CPM can only lead to the disintegration of the country because it quickly degenerates into racial conflict. I therefore deplore force and violence of all forms.
(c) that in a multi-racial society, if any racial group feels it is backward, either educationally, economically, culturally, linguistically, or politically, then racial antagonism will be created. Every attempt must be made to remove these imbalances between the races and groups.
(d) that poverty is not a communal problem. It is a socio-economic problem. To regard poverty as a racial problem is to increase racial antagonism in this country.
(e) that democratic socialism can close the gap between the haves and the have-nots of all races.
(f) that I want a clean, honest, efficient, incorruptible and effective government.
(g) that only parliamentary democracy can prevent a racial clash. Any other form of government will only lead to racial mistrust.
(h) that communism is unconducive in a multi-racial society like Malaysia.
My Future Plan
84. I intend to continue with my political work in the DAP to help bring about a genuine nation of Malaysians:
(a) where every citizen, regardless of his race, language or religion, regards himself as a Malaysian first and his racial identity secondary;
(b) where Malaysians f all races have more in common with one another than with their ‘blood brothers’ counterpart may they be in Red/Nationalist China, India or Indonesia. Unless we can achieve this, Malaysia cannot be said to have become “A Nation of Malaysians”.
85. Inside and outside Parliament, my and my party’s theme will continue to be:
(a) that all Malaysians must be Malaysian conscious;
(b) to work in unison to make Malaysia a united, harmonious and prosperous nation.”
Dr. Chen Man Hin and I have stayed true to the nation-building principles we had espoused right from the beginning of the DAP 56 years go.