In tribute of Dr. Chen Man Hin (5): Malaysia at the crossroads – to go forward or to go backwards
Yesterday, I referred to a document which recently came into my possession – 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 bac-k to Malaysia on 18th May 1969.
This document was classified for 50 years and was declassified on 24th February 2020.
It showed that DAP never expected to win 13 Parliamentary and 31 State Assembly seats in the 1969 general election.
This is what I said in this document with regard to the DAP leadership’s (including Dr. Chen Man Hin) expectations with regard to the 1969 General Election:
“DAP Successes:
“35. The DAP did not expect the sweeping Parliamentary and State success secured on 10th May 1969. Before the General Elections, the DAP leaders informally had discussed the pros and cons they were to face. The pessimistic leaders predicted that the DAP could not even secure a single Parliamentary seat. The optimistic ones predicted that the DAP could sweep the polls. But we ruled out the latter and that it could only take place if there was a radical swing by the electorate away from the Alliance. We all regarded it as a very remote possibility. We were surprised at the overwhelming results achieved on 10th May 1969. It showed that there had been a great political awakening by the electorate who wanted a change from the 13-year Alliance rule.”
Malaysia is again at the crossroads – to go forwards or to go backwards.
There is a sense of hopelessness, despair and despondency in the country, for Malaysians are disappointed with the 22-month Pakatan Harapan government which toppled the seemingly invincible UMNO-Barisan Nasional behemonth in the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018.
Malaysians should realise that no where in the world could a government achieve in 22 months when it was a mandate for five years. But more could have been done.
There is however a growing awareness that we must not surrender to hopelessness, despair and despondency for we are only giving a blank cheque to allow the traitors to turn Malaysia into a kleptocracy, kakistocracy, a rogue and failed state.
The 14 General Election mandate, despite all the undemocratic hurdles and lopsided playing-field, was very clear – to reset nation-building policies and directions for the fulfilment of the Malaysian Dream to be a top world-class nation which is “a beacon of light to a disturbed and distracted world” and not a failed, rogue, kakistocratic and kleptocratic state!
When he was Prime Minister, Najib Razak unleashed the most irresponsible, vicious and toxic politics of race, religion, hate, fear and lies in Malaysian history, utterly reckless of their divisive, provocative and polarizing character to tear asunder a fragile plural society comprising of diverse races, religions, languages and cultures!
In his last months as Prime Minister, Najib was responsible for lies, fake news and false information – particularly when he said on the eve of the 14GE, that there were no Malays at Pakatan Harapan rallies, that the tens of thousands who gathered to hear Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in Langkawi, Gombak, Jerlun, Batu Katil, Putrajaya, Lembah Pantai, Pandan, Kuantan and Wangsa Maju were DAP supporters “bussed in” by DAP, when the Special Branch knew that in the five-decade history of DAP, we have never bussed anyone to any DAP or Pakatan function.
The use of the fake news and hate speech to bring about a toxic politics of race, religion is not a new phenomenon in Malaysian politics, except that recently, it has reached new heights capable to far-reaching consequences to destroy national unity and inter-racial and inter-religious harmony in Malaysia where serious allegations that the police are running a “troll farm” cannot be effectively rebutted.
There is great urgency to re-state the fundamental principles laid down by our forefathers in the Malaysia Constitution and Rukun Negara to lay the basis to rebuild a new Malaysia of harmony, excellence and quality, setting the country with confidence and certainty into a new future .
Every ethnicity must come out of the fear and hate arising from the false belief that that it is facing an existential threat – for if every community, ethnicity and culture is facing an existential threat, who is creating all these threats to all the communities, ethnicities and cultures in the country?
Let us have the commitment for Malaysia to be a showcase to the world of the success of Alliance of Civilisations.
As Malaysia is the confluence of four great civilisations of the world, Malay/Islamic, Chinese, Indian and Western, let us come out of our ethnic shells and enclaves, interact, appreciate and accept the virtues and best values of each other’s ethnicity, culture and civilisation and not to fall victim to desperados who only want to engender and incite suspicion, distrust, fear and hatred – by pitting race against race, religion against religion, culture against culture and civilisation against civilisation.
The best way to remember Dr. Chen Man Hin’s life -works for Malaysia lasting six decades is to keep the Malaysian Dream alive and never to give up hope to strive for the goals of Malaysia as united, world-class great nation!