(Kuala Lumpur, Sunday): The restoration of party discipline and public confidence in the credibility and integrity of the DAP leadership will be top on the new CEC’s agenda in carrying out the Party Congress mandate to create a New DAP to build a New Malaysia.
I wish to thank the 12th Party Congress delegates who have shown their maturity and steadfastness in issuing an unmistakable message yesterday that they want to see an immediate, clean and total end to the worst DAP crisis in 32 years.
The 12th DAP Congress did this by electing a new CEC completely united in the sense of purpose and commitment that the one and only one overriding priority of the DAP is how it could fully commit its energies and resources to create a New DAP to build a New Malaysia - the first step being the denial of the Barisan Nasional’s two-thirds parliamentary majority in the coming general elections.
I cannot ask for a better CEC than the one elected by the Party Congress yesterday, and the next CEC meeting will co-opt up to ten members to broaden the base of the top national leadership to prepare for the greatest challenge in the DAP’s 32-year history - the denial of two-thirds parliamentary majority to the Barisan Nasional in the next general elections which is probably around the corner.
In Kota Bahru yesterday, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad said the Government would study the possibility of an early general election following the proposal by the former Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Ghafar Baba that the government should call for an early election.
Ghafar said that an early election was important, as besides getting a fresh mandate from the people it would also help to expedite efforts to revive the economy.
My first guess of the polls date is mid-October and DAP leaders will be asking for an appointment with the Elections Commission to discuss new safeguards to ensure that the forthcoming general elections will be clean, free and fair, and that international observer teams should be invited to make the Malaysian general elections a model of a clean, free and fair general elections to other countries, developed or developing, to emulate.
The new CEC will make restoration of party discipline and public confidence in the credibility and integrity of the party leadership the two immediate top agenda, because the DAP suffered unprecedented damage in the past three months from the KOKS campaign, and the DAP must never allow such a disaster to befall the party again.
The Party Congress has given a clear mandate to the DAP CEC to restore party discipline and public confidence in the credibility and integrity of the DAP leadership.
During the debate on the Central Executive Committee report at the Party Congress yesterday, both Liew Ah Kim and Fung Ket Wing expressed the hope that the Congress would be the be-all-and-end-all of the worst crisis in the 32 year history of the DAP and that they would abide by the verdict of the Congress delegates.
The Party Congress yesterday was presented with an emergency motion proposed by the Sri Rambai DAP Branch and seconded by the Bukit Mertajam DAP Branch to expel Ah Kim, Ket Wing and Balasundram for a long catalogue of anti-party activities and doing even worst damage to the DAP than the MCA and Gerakan.
This emergency motion to expel Ah Kim, Ket Wing and Balasundram had the support of over 100 branches which have sent delegates to the Congress.
However, in view of what Ah Kim and Ket Wing said at the Congress that there would be a total and final end to the worst crisis in the party’s history and that they would fully accept the verdict of the Congress, I am holding Ah Kim and Ket Wing to what they said.
In that spirit, I advised Sri Rambai and Bukit Mertajam DAP Branches to withdraw their emergency motion, and I agreed that if Ah Kim and Ket Wing break their word and seek to prolong their campaign to continue to damage the party, the party leadership would take the sternest actions which would include re-opening all that they had done and said to undermine the party in the past three months.
I regret that Ah Kim had made a statement after the announcement of election results yesterday that there would be a "major purge" soon in the party, with about 20 people who would be dealt with.
This is of course a public confession of the extent of the KOKS campaign. However, there will be no purge or disciplinary action against the 20-odd KOKS leaders, unless they force the DAP leadership to take action with continued defiance of DAP leadership and discipline.
What Ah Kim said yesterday was clearly aimed at undermining public confidence in the new DAP CEC and the first breach of his word to the Congress yesterday that there would be a final and total end to the worst crisis in the DAP’s 32-year history, with no more prolonging their campaign to undermine public confidence in the credibility and integrity of the DAp leadership.
Ah Kim would not be given another chance if he again breaks his word to the Party National Congress yesterday.
(23/8/98)