Kit Siang: I never thought we’d reach Putrajaya

INTERVIEW | Lim Kit Siang joined DAP in 1966 at the age of 25. He would then spend the next 52 years as one of Malaysia’s most prolific opposition figures.

Lim has been elected as an MP 11 times, represented seven parliamentary constituencies and sat in three state legislative assemblies.

On May 9, at the ripe age of 77, he had finally reached a career milestone which he once thought was impossible - sitting on the government bench.

“When we started, we never thought about being an MP, state government or federal government. As we went along, this became necessary, as part of the political achievement process.

“But I never thought that I would be able to see a change in the federal government,” Lim told Malaysiakini.

Lim has been the driving force of DAP since joining the party a year after it was formed in 1965. By 1969, he held the party’s top position - secretary-general - for 30 years until his first electoral defeat in 1999.

At the height of the 1MDB scandal in 2016, he joined forces with his one-time foe Dr Mahathir Mohamad, planting the seeds for what is now Pakatan Harapan - the ruling coalition of Malaysia today.

Beginning anew

Since last year, Mahathir, 93, has been bullish about Harapan’s chances of defeating Najib Abdul Razak’s BN government. A few days before the 14th general election, Mahathir told Malaysiakini that his coalition would win hands down.

Close to midnight on polling day, as the results continued to trickle in, it began to show that Harapan was in the lead. Even then, Lim wasn’t confident that victory was imminent.

“There came the possibility of becoming more and more real that it (our victory) could happen. But the question was whether it could end up in a hung Parliament or not,” Lim said.

There was fear that BN’s shock defeat after 61 years in power would lead to violence or attempts to subvert the transition process. These fears were proven unfounded, in part due to Harapan’s decisive victory.

Asked if he had an emotional moment when it was clear that Harapan had made history by crossing the finish line, Lim, in his usual stoic self, replied: “Nothing at all”.

Throughout the hour-long interview, Lim made it clear that reaching Putrajaya was merely a conduit towards his ultimate goal: Rebuilding Malaysia and restoring her to the proud nation she once was.

“GE14 is only a starting point. Then the hard work begins. And that it is even more formidable than reaching this point,” he said.

Excerpts from Malaysiakini’s interview with Lim, edited for brevity, follow:

Malaysiakini: You started your political journey 52 years ago. Now we are at this point. How does it feel?

Lim: There is still hope for the country. When I started I never thought we would reach this stage. Of course, when I started it was not that bad. All I wanted to do was to do what was right for the country.

Of course, we've never thought about being an MP, state government or federal government but as we went along, it became necessary, as part of the political achievement process.

But I never thought that I would be able to see a change in the federal government. Although we hoped that in the GE14, there was a possibility. Although it was very uphill and very difficult, the possibility of change was there. So we went all-out, pulled all the stops and hoped that we bring about change.

Malaysiakini: At what point did you feel that change was indeed possible?

Lim: The possibility has always been there. It had been there when we formed Pakatan Rakyat and later brought Tun M on board. It was a process. Before that, there was the Citizen’s Declaration. He contacted me about it.

When Bersatu joined Pakatan Harapan, then there is a possibility of a ‘Malay tsunami’ to ensure that we could match the urban and semi-urban tsunami to bring about a ‘Malaysian tsunami’. It is not anti-Chinese or anti-Indian. We needed rural and semi-rural support because of the nature of the electoral constituency redelineation.

And of course, in the last election, the odds were stacked side by side against the natural choice of the people. With the redelineation, with the laws that were passed, the anti-fake news law and threats made it all the more difficult.

But then, the rules changed and the games changed as well. I think we are able to have game changers: Number one, Mahathir's role. Number two, DAP not using the “rocket”. That was a clear message not only to those in Pakatan Harapan, but to everyone, that we will be able to rise above race, religion, region and political party. I think it is a success to a certain extent.

Of course, we had to ensure that we maintained a high voter turnout, which happened in 2008 and 2013. Sustaining that turnout rate was not easy. There was disenchantment, disappointment and boycott of the campaign.

Then we had to take risks. Of course it all started, by (Liew) Chin Tong wanting to go to Ayer Hitam, (Nga) Kor Ming (going to Teluk Intan) as well as the change for Seremban.

Malaysiakini: So, even on the eve of voting, were you confident of victory?

Lim: That possibility had always been there, but I never had the confidence that we could do it. But the possibility is there. It depended on two factors: The turnout and whether there will be a Malay tsunami.

We didn't know until the votes were counted. That is a is simple fact. The possibility was there. It was going to be difficult. Uphill. We will just keep pushing. Go for the kill.

Malaysiakini: What time on polling day were you sure that Harapan had won?

Lim: Around midnight. I arrived at Sheraton Hotel (Harapan’s ad hoc tally centre) at about 10pm. At the time, the reports were very encouraging. The numbers were surging. So I think around there, the possibility was becoming more and more real that it could happen. The question is whether it would be a hung Parliament or not.

Malaysiakini: Was that an emotional moment for you?

Lim: Nothing at all. You cannot really celebrate a particular moment. I think there was the possibility (of winning) there.

Malaysiakini: What time did you end up sleeping that night?

Lim: 6am. We still had meetings (after announcing the formation of the Harapan government). Then I had to be up before 9am. Our lives are worse than you journalists. Journalists that day got better sleep.

Malaysiakini: As you crisscrossed the country for the campaign, was there an indication that the swing was coming?

Lim: I think there was a clear sign that the voters were hoping for a new regime. A new Malaysia, to start anew. Because so many things went wrong. I think there was a ringing call. I think even among the Malays as well. The Malays I reached out to, for example in Johor Bahru, I felt there was an urgent call from them that we couldn’t let the rot continue and we must start again.

I think there are those who felt that 1MDB and global kleptocracy were not issues. I think they underestimated the intelligence of the people. The people may not speak up, they may not want to express themselves, but I think that the issues went down very deep. I believe that apart from GST and the cost of living, it (kleptocracy) was a major factor.

Malaysiakini: Could it be that Mahathir’s personality outshone Najib’s? Are we still voting based on personalities?

Lim: I think we are beyond that. I think it is important. I am not downplaying Mahathir’s aura and all that. His aura was built over 22 years.

I would stress that it was a case of “the people versus Najib” and Mahathir personified that battle. -Mkini