Tan Sri Lim Lit Siang's Opportunity Or Sacrifice?

 I have adapted the following from Malaysia Now here.  It is an article written by Yap Long Chuan.

Kit Siang's opinion about upcoming elections in six states 
to make Malaysia great
Kit Siang saying same thing for 50 to 60 years

elections in six states in Aug really about govt betraying trust 

• Before GE15, DAP and PH sang "Hoi hoi ya hoi" to run down kleptocrats
• with slogan like "One vote for Khairy, is one vote for Zahid".
• what did we get? Zahid DPM, DAP working in cahoots with hoi ya hoi 'thieves'
• How do you answer that, Kit Siang? 
• How can you sleep at night knowing that you have betrayed will of the people ?

• Madani announced Jakim's role in policy-making, DAP quiet as church mouse
• Didnt you, DAP and PKR call for Jakim to be closed down in the past? 
• You accused Jakim bloated, contravened rights of non-Muslims, unilateral conversions
• In the past,  DAP strongly condemned RUU355
• now RUU355 approved by DAP leaders in Cabinet
• Kit Siang's silence over police report under Sedition Act against woman who spoke  against him on social media? 
• DAP was against Sedition Act in the past
• These are examples of areas that DAP, PH will be judged in six state elections
• public will send strong message 
• these concessions worth making or whether government betrayed trust

 

My Comments :

This is my view. In the past Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang has been jailed more than once for his beliefs.  No one has to agree or disagree with his beliefs. This is a free country.

But this is a man who was willing to be jailed for his beliefs. Tan Sri Lim has never committed a real crime in his life. He has not stolen money, abused his power or made anyone disappear. He was jailed (after due process) for political reasons. Meaning he was sent to jail over his speeches (mostly) as a politician. The law did not agree with what he said.  

In this country we still have laws that send you to jail for saying things in public or for writing words down on a piece of paper - which may be deemed disagreeable by the law. Yes the law can be an ass.  

So Tan Sri Lim stood for his principles and his beliefs. 

But I think Tan Sri Lim breached his own principles, beginning 1998, for a greater cause. And my view is he is still staying true to that course. Which the article above has detailed quite precisely and briefly (congrats on a slick piece of writing).

In the late 1990s when Ummi Hafilda Ali wrote her famous letter, which was widely circulated, about the extra-marital affairs and other sexual shenanigans of you know who, the DAP was the earliest to take up the cause. It was the late Mr Karpal Singh who brought the matter up in Parliament. And he was ably assisted by none other than YB Mat Sabu who was in Pas at that time. 

(It would transpire later that Ummi Hafilda had actually met Mr Karpal Singh to consult his legal services over her situation. He declined the request.)

Things changed very quickly in September 1998. Within days of you know who being thrown out into the streets, Mr Lim Kit Siang turned up at his house to "show his support".

I was shocked. What an about face. A 180 degree turn around in principles.  How could Mr Lim and the DAP do such a thing?

Just a few weeks before, the DAP was still carrying the cudgels over the contents of Ummi Hafilda's letter. But now they were ready to carry you know who on their shoulders.

25 years later I can see that Tan Sri Lim had made the right decision - to achieve the real objective which he wanted to achieve.

Regardless that it meant sacrificing his principles or that it even meant sacrificng the DAP (in the long run). 

But as it has turned out, the DAP has benefited handsomely from hoisting you know who on their shoulders. The DAP has acquired Penang (2008) and has done an extremely good job of running Penang for 15 years now. The DAP is also senior partner in the Selangor State government, Perak and a few other States (including Pahang). 

And more importantly the DAP made it into the Federal government in 2018 and again since November 2022.

So indeed it was an extremely strategically wise move by Tan Sri Lim in 1998.

But still I believe that was not the final objective of Tan Sri Lim's intentions.

I believe Tan Sri Lim's main intention was to break Malay political dominance. And this has been achieved quite successfully.

Now the situation has changed completely. And the DAP's political future is now threatened.

You-know-who now holds the top job. And the Peter Principle is being proven everyday since the day he reached the top spot. The Peter Principle says that a person will get promoted up and up until he reaches his maximum level of incompetence.  That is what has happened. 

Every morning when he begins his day his incompetence sprays the whole country like a fireman's hose.   Its been like that since November 2022. As that Mat salleh fellow said, he is running on an empty gas tank.

So, like the view expressed in the MalaysiaNow report above, the DAP is taking a big risk going into the polls in the six States. Kelantan, Trengganu and Kedah are gone cases. No one expects much from the lebais anyway.

It is Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan which can become an existential threat for the Pakatan Harapan as well as for the DAP. 

If the PH does not lose Selangor they will certainly get seriously mauled. That is almost certain. If the winds are right, PH can lose Selangor. Azmin Ali will likely become the Menteri Besar, a job he handled quite to the satisfaction of the DAP not too long ago.

Although Umno (the DAP's partner in the PH) claims mileage in Negeri Sembilan that too remains to be seen. The PN can make serious inroads into Negeri Sembilan as well.

The DAP appears to be on sounder footing in Penang but the PH will certainly lose plenty in Penang too.

What happens next will be critical. Will the Federal government hold?

There is that long overdue rebellion expected from inside Umno. The Sarawak  people are always ready to explore new options. The KLIA episode exerts pressure too because Minister Teo King Sing is GPS Sarawak. Jangan main-main.

What if the Federal government cracks? And the coalition breaks up? Hence the suggestions that there will be yet another general election before year end. 

What if the Federal government breaks up, there is a general election and the DAP gets mauled too? By the way UMNO will also get thrown into the dustbin.

Would it have been worth it? I think Tan Sri Lim would say yes it was worth it.

Because his main objective ie to break Malay dominance in politics would still have been achieved. And if UMNO gets thrown into the dustbin as well (which they will) that would be many birds with one stone.  

Not to dismiss the fact that UMNO has played a huge role in destroying Malay political dominance. This is one party that should really rename itself Dumbno. It was not all due to Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang. It was the stupidity, the corruption and the greed of the dumbnos that has seen the demise of the party. And with the demise of dumbno so too the demise of Malay political dominance.

The Malay vote is now almost completely fragmented and shattered. Just a few days back I met an old hard-core Umno acquaintance - whom I have not met since before 2018.  I playfully prodded him "hang belah mana sekarang bro". He shied away from answering at all.  Not only are ex-UMNO folks no more Umno but you cannot tell where they are now - Bersatu, Pejuang, Getah, Pas, Amanah, PKR? Where exactly?

Perhaps Tan Sri Lim may feel that he can rest a bit easier now. Malay political dominance has been seriously dented. Will it come back? That depends on Sarawak and Sabah.

The demographics show that the "pure" Malay population is just over 50%. Exact numbers unknown. With all other Muslims thrown in that number may hit below 60%. Sarawak is 75% Christian, almost all of whom are bumiputra.

Who shall be the DAPs friends ? What happens to the DAP?

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.