He also has no answer to my first question when he was converted from “Malay first, Malaysian second” to “Malaysian first, Malay second” stance.

Malaysians have to draw their own conclusions.

I will close with a quote from Malaysian’s own historian, Ranjit Singh Malhi:

“To conclude, the strength of our nation lies not in the dominance of one race, but in the unity of all its people. Let us rise above toxic rhetoric and embrace our diversity as a source of strength. Let us think and act as fellow citizens, committed to building a truly united, just, and progressive nation – for all.”

(Statement by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang on Thursday, 8th May 2025)

Yesterday, former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said:

“I am a Malay Malaysian. But my thinking has never been to see myself as only Malay. I have to consider the Chinese, Indians and others, because I am a leader of Malaysia.

“I used to say I was Malay first. That is no longer important. I am a Malay who cares for all Malaysians.”

The first question: When he was converted from “Malay first, Malaysian second” to “Malaysian first, Malay second”.,

Second question: Is he prepared to lead a campaign to urge all Malaysians to see themselves as nationality first, ethnicity second?

(Statement by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang on Monday, 5th May 2025)

The Bandung Conference which was jointly organised by Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Ceylon, and Burma, was attended by leaders of 29 countries.

At the museum, I met a delegation from Asian African Youth Government — a pioneer of Afro-Asian and ASEAN NGOs who must lead the world in developing global civilizational movements started at Bandung.

The Afro-Asian Bandung Conference produced Ten Principles of Bandung ushering a globalisation movement, which included the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement six years later in Belgrade.

The 70th Anniversary of the 1955 Bandung Conference is more significant than ever, for at stake is whether the Spirit of Bandung can survive the anti-globalisation campaign of the second American presidency of Donald Trump.

What is obvious is that President Donald Trump has violated all the Ten Principles of Bandung and wants the world to degenerate to a “Pax Americana”.

I remember that when I was a reporter in the early sixties, I was for a period assigned to the Coroner’s Court. I had a long argument about the inevitability of the world going communist, but the despite the seeming invincibility of the world going communist, we want the freedom to have a choice.

What is obvious is that Trump has violated all the Ten Principles of Bandung and wants the world to degenerate to a “Pax Americana”.

But just as Francis Fukuyama was proved to be wrong with his “The End of History” and Samuel Huntington wrong with “The Clash of Civilisations”, Trump may prove to be wrong in his spanner wrench to unscrew the globalisation nuts.

Just as the world does not want to take sides in the East-West conflict, the world does not want to choose between China and the United States in the Trump tariffs battle.

Yesterday, I was very impressed with the cultural performance put up by the Sundanese art group, Saung Angklung Udjo attempting to manifest beautiful harmony of vibrating bamboos to spread the values of simplicity, co-operation, unity, and togetherness, as well as maintaining the mutual relationship between humans and the environment.

UNESCO inscribed Angklung in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List in November 2010.

Udjo’s House of Angklung adopts the philosophy of easy, affordable, educative, attractive, massive, and cheerful performances that are the essence of their ultimate show called “Kaulinan Urang Lembur” or villagers’ playtime.

Especially evocative is the message that humanity has a universal language with the basics of music.

In the Afro-Asian Conference, mankind made a move towards globalisation. Do we want to turn the clock back?

In ASEAN, there is also “Unity in diversity”. ASEAN should contribute to this global civilization process, of dialogue and harmony and to save mankind from a war between US and China and a World War III.

(Statement by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang in Bandung, Indonesia on Sunday, 20th April 2025)

This was vividly brought home by the mockery of American conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly who could not understand the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia with the caustic remarks that the “Malays do not have money”.

Firstly, the Vietnamese and the Cambodians are not Malays.

Secondly, it is not these three countries who are deciding how best to respond to the Trump tariffs, but the ten countries in Asean who are deciding how to best respond with ASEAN representing the most varied civilizations in the world — Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Taoism, Sikhism, Communism, and others.

We must think about the future of humanity. We are in the era of AI and on the brink of general Space Travel.

But the biggest worry of thinkers in the world is whether there will be war between the United States and China as a World War III will destroy mankind — rendering nought the promises of AI and general Space Travel.

ASEAN have the most diverse races, languages, religions, cultures, and civilizations in the world.

We must think of the future of mankind.

ASEAN should leverage on the “Unity in diversity” concept to contribute to global civilization dialogue and harmony and to save mankind from a war between US and China and a World War III.

This is where the search for the future of mankind must start with the first Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung in 1955, seventy years ago today.

(Statement by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang in Bandung on Friday, 18th April 2025)

In the past few days, I have been visiting Surabaya to find what made Indonesia great. Surabaya has a history of 1,200 years.

I visited Trowulan to see how Indonesia motto “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” – “Unity in Diversity” – came about. I also went to Mt. Bromo to watch sunrise and the active volcano Mt. Bromo generating plumes of smoke. Later I climbed Mt. Bromo but I could not see the bottom of the crater.

Seventy years ago in 1955 when I was in Form One in Batu Pahat High School, Asian and African leaders met for the first time in the first Afro-Asia Conference in Bandung. Great names including President Sukarno of Indonesia, Prime Minister of China Zhou Enlai, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, President Nasser of United Arab Republic, Ghana President Kwame Nkrumah, President Tito of Yugoslavia were among the leaders of 29 countries who gathered in the Indonesian city in a historic occasion to declare their neutrality in the East-West conflict.

It led to the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement in world politics and the birth of a global movement transcending national boundaries.

Now, with the advent of Trumpian politics in American politics, and the preoccupation of the world whether the China-American trade war will lead to nuclear war and the eradication of mankind, the world is facing its great danger in history.

Has the world anything to learn from the Bandung Conference in 1955?

At the end of the April holidays in 1955, I joined two Form One students to cycle from Batu Pahat to Malacca. In those days where there was no Internet with nearly everybody having an iPhone and digital communication almost universal, the bicycle trip from Batu Pahat to Malacca was quite adventurous and bold-minded.

As Tan Tik Seng, one of the trio, said last week:

”Yes, I remember the event. You were most interested and talked about it all the time.”

As Allan Goh Chay Foo, another member of the trio, reminisced recently:

“That was the time when a lot of countries were fighting or clamouring for independence. That was also the time when many giants from the Afro-Asian countries walked the world.”

Has the world of 2025 anything to learn from the first Asia-African Conference of 1955?

I am visiting Bandung to find out!

(Statement by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang in Bandung, Indonesia on Wednesday, 17th April 2025)

If this were to happen, it would be most unfortunate indeed.

I have occasion to ask Teresa what happened and she told me the whole story.

I believe Teresa did not report the matter to the Anti-Corruption Agency and was not responsible for the arrest of her two former officers.

I believe Teresa stands for integrity, accountability, responsibility, good governance and democracy.

(Media Statement by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Thursday 13th March 2025)

In the 1995 General Election in April 1995, P. Patto won with a 118-vote majority. However he passed away three months later causing a by-election being held.

I asked for a 5,000-vote majority to save DAP and democracy in the by-election, and Lim Hock Seng won the Bagan by-election on Sept. 9, 1995 with a 11,802-vote majority and earned the title of Democracy City.

Now, Bagan is showing the way for Malaysia to step forward globally, for the 10,000 red-silk lanterns in Jalan Raja Uda in Bagan every Chinese New Year is not only famous in Malaysia but in the world to usher in a new year where Malaysians inside the country and the whole wide world can feel proud as Malaysians.

Malaysia needs a reset of our nation-building policies, and we must learn from the wrongs and mistakes we have made in deviating from the nation-building principles of our founding fathers and which prevented Malaysia from achieving Vision 2020 to create a Bangsa Malaysia out of our multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation, and placed Malaysia among the successful world-class nations.

Malaysia is at the confluence of four great civilisations — Malay/Islamic, Chinese, Indian, and Western — and we must leverage on the values and virtues of these four great civilisations to build a great world-class nation.

We should learn from best and not the worst from these four great civilisations to build a great Malaysia where Malaysians all over the world can be proud.

Penang has won international awards and recognition for its food, beaches, nature, and historical heritage. It was listed by many as a Must Visit City.

In 2008, George Town was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2021, Penang Hill was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

But Penang could do more.

Penang should be the front-line state to enable Malaysia to be the role model for the world in inter-ethnic, inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-civilisation dialogue, understanding, tolerance and harmony and provide the intellectual leadership for such a transformation.

This year, Malaysia is Chairman of ASEAN. Malaysia has also joined BRICS country.

I call on Penang to lead Malaysia in having global mindsets to contribute to global peace, progress and prosperity in promoting inter-ethnic, inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-civilisation dialogue, understanding, tolerance and harmony and provide the intellectual leadership for such a transformation.

(Speech by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang at the “Light 10,000 Red-Silk Lanterns” ceremony at Jalan Raja Uda, Bagan to welcome the Chinese New Year of the Snake on Sunday, 5th January 2025 at 7.30 pm)

“Lim Kit Siang yg lahir di Funan negara China datang ke Tanah Melayu dgn bapak dia ditahun 1957.;…. Lim Kit Siang masa tu 16 tahun.”

I googled “Funan” and this is from the Britannica:

“Funan, ancient state in Cambodia that arose in the 1st century ce and was incorporated into the state of Chenla in the 6th century. Funan (perhaps a Chinese transcription of pnom, “mountain”) was the first important Hinduized kingdom in southeast Asia. It covered portions of what are now Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. Funan had trade relations with India as well as China, to whose emperor the people of Funan sent tribute between the 3rd and 6th centuries. Archaeological evidence shows that Funan was influenced markedly by Indian cultures.”

I am not born in China or Cambodia, but in Batu Pahat in Malaysia. I attended SJKC Cheng Siew for two years in 1947 and 1948 before I enrolled in Batu Pahat English School in 1949 where I studied for the primary and secondary education. Its all in the school records.

A week ago, I went up Bukit China in Malacca with several hundreds of Malaysians to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the “Save Bukit China” campaign.

Bukit China in Malacca was the largest Chinese graveyard outside China, with over 12,000 graves, some dating back to the Ming dynasty.

Just as nobody expected the “Save Bukit China” campaign to be successful, nobody expected that there will be a change of government in the 14th general elections in 2018.

But we must learn from our experiences in life.

We must never deviate from our Malaysian Dream for Malaysia to be fairer, freer, more equal, prosperous and united but things cannot be accomplished overnight. We must develop a longer view for change and reforms as we practise a democratic system of government and must win over the minds of the people.

The DAP must remain united both in leadership and base, never forgo the principles for a Malaysian Dream for a better, united and diverse Malaysia.

This is also an age of information and misinformation and one of the skills of survival in the age of information/misinformation is the ability to differentiate between right from wrong.

(Speech by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang at the Majlis Penghargaan Tanjong at SRJK Shang Wu, Penang on Saturday, 4th January 2025)

Next year is the 70th anniversary of the Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung.

How swift time flies.

We in Malaysia have engaged in nation-building for 67 years.

I was active in school and was one those who suggested that we should have class magazine in Form III.

I was a Malaysian First from school as shown by class magazine writings.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has lasted longer as Prime Minister than his three immediate predecessors thanks to greater stability and unity.

There has been mounting criticisms about the failure to keep to the reformasi promises of Pakatan Harapan.

To ensure longer-term stability and unity, there is need to give hope and confidence that the reformasi pledges were serious.

The next three years will be critical not only for the Anwar Ibrahim premiership, the Pakatan Harapan and the DAP as well as the unity government.

Let negotiate them together, not forgetting that we must continue to give hope and confidence that the reformasi promises were not empty pledges.

When I retired from front-line DAP politics, I decided that I will not comment on current Malaysian political developments for three years. I have been engrossed myself in global politics and the challenges of humanity – inter-civilisational dialogue and harmony, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and climate change.

With Malaysia joining BRICS, there is a need for Malaysians to develop a global mindset to meaningfully operate in global politics.

(Speech by veteran DAP Lim Kit Siang at the relaunching of Kee Thuan Chye’s two-volume book “Lim Kit Siang – Malaysian First” and the Chinese translation of Volume 2 in Ipoh on Friday, 20th December 2024)

Malaysia must aim to be model state to the world in “Unity in Diversity” by promoting global inter-civilisational dialogue, understanding, tolerance and harmony in the world.

One the greatest questions for the present humanity is whether the United States and China will go to war, for it holds the danger of the end of humanity with the nuclear capacity which each possesses.

Malaysia has excellent credentials to play such a model role for global civilizational dialogue, understanding, tolerance and harmony for Malaysia is home to several civilizations – namely Islam, Confucianism,. Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity. Hinduism, and Sikkhism.

There is a theory of the clash of civilisations, but there is nothing inevitable in such a civilizational clash and Malaysia should play its role to promote global civilizational dialogue, understanding, tolerance and harmony and save humanity.

The Rukun Negara commits Malaysia to five objectives as stated in its Preamble, namely to:

· Achieving a more perfect unity amongst the whole of the society;

· Preserving a democratic way of life;

· Creating a just society where the prosperity of the country can be enjoyed together in a fair and equitable manner;

· Guaranteeing a liberal approach towards her rich and varied cultural traditions; and

· Building a progressive society that will make use of science and modern technology.

These can form the basis of an international civilisational dialogue, understanding, tolerance and harmony movement, with Malaysia playing a meaningful role.

Malaysia should use its membership in ASEAN, APEC, BRICS and even the United Nations to promote this global civilisational objective and Malaysians should be among the leading countries in the world with global mindsets.

(Speech by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang at the 6th Anniversary Gala Dinner of Puchong Chinese Chamber of Commerce on Saturday 16th November 2024 at 8 pm)

Firstly, Malaysians want stability as nobody benefits from a chaotic and unstable Malaysia – with no investor, particularly a foreign investor, wanting to invest in such a Malaysia.

Secondly, there is only one end result for a chaotic and unstable Malaysia – a failed state. It is not the road for Malaysia to rise again to become a great world-class nation.

Thirdly, the end of the Green Wave in Malaysia, where extremism, hatred, lies, misinformation and disinformation ruled the day.

In the past six years, Malaysia has had five Prime Ministers. As of today, the 10th Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, has outlasted three of them – Ismail Sabri, Muhyiddin Yassin and Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in his second tenure as Prime Minister. But Anwar has not only served longer than three of the five PMs in the last six years, he is headed to be one of the longest of ten Prime Ministers of Malaysia.

The next two or three years will be crucial for Malaysia. It will decide whether whether Anwar Ibrahim will be one of the three longest Prime Ministers of Malaysia in Malaysian history.

The acid test in the next two or three years will be whether Anwar Ibrahim will live up to his famous quote: “Wo Men Dou Shi Yi Jia Ren” – “Melayu anak saya, Cina anak saya, India anak saya, Kadazan anak saya, Dayak anak saya”.

If Malaysia is to rise again to become a great world-class nation, we must go back to the Malaysian Constitution and Rukun Negara, which emphasise that Malaysia is a plural society and the importance of “unity in diversity:”

Malaysia nearly become world-known as a kleptocratic state. We want to be famous in the world for the unity and harmony of various races and cultures and the success we can achieve from such unity and harmony.

We want Malaysia to be able to contribute to the world, and one area which we are eminently qualified to contributre is to promote global civilizational dialogue and harmony.

Malaysia is home to Islam, Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Taoism, Sikhism and other civilisations. We can and must contribute to a new phase of humanity, where all men and women develop not only national mindsets but global mindsets.

We can start modestly by promoting global civilizational dialogue and harmony.

(Speech by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang at the 103th anniversary dinner of the Batu Pahat Chin Kang Association on Monday, 30th September 2024 at 8 pm.)

I have retired from DAP frontline politics but it is not possible to retire from life unless you go to another world.

I have been thinking about the future of humanity. We are in the era of AI and on the brink of general space travel.

But the biggest worry of thinkers in the world is whether there will be war between the United States and Chima as a World War III will destroy mankind – rendering nought the promises of AI and general Space Travel.

An ASEAN geopolitical strategist has forecast the next 10 years as the most exciting and far-reaching for mankind.

I have been reading about human civilizations. I believe that civilization dialogue and harmony can avoid the human catastrophe as a World War III will bring civilization to nought, and that Penang and Malaysia can contribute to this process to ensure that there is no World War III.

Penang and Malaysia should be world examples of “Unity in ‘Diversity”

We have diverse races, languages, religions, cultures and civilizations in Malaysia – a microcosm of the new world order we want to build.

We have Islam, Confucianism,. Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Taoism, Sikhism and others.

Penang and Malaysia should leverage on this “Unity in diversity”, as highlighted by the Constitution and the Rukun Negara, to contribute to global civilization dialogue and harmony and to save mankind from a war between US and China and a World War III.

(Speech by DA{P veteran Lim Kit Siang at the Penang Orchid Show to commemorate World Ozone Day 2024 at Straits Quay, Penang on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024 at 5 pm)

Dr. Sumana, who took post-graduate studies in Christian Theology at Oxford University, is an “activist” monk.

He had actively participated in many causes in Malaysia, like the Save Bukit China (Malacca cemetry hill) campaign in 1984/5 and the hunger strike against the death sentence of Sim Kie Chon campaign in 1986.

In 2,000, he walked the entire Great Wall of China (about 6,000km and through four seasons) in nine months to set a world record.

I have been thinking of civilizational dialogue, understanding, tolerance, co-operation and harmony as way Malaysia can contribute to global efforts in this direction as well as to help one Malaysia create national unity and overcome the very polarized situation the nation has found itself in recent years, aggravated by the social media of instant information, misinformation and disinformation.

For the first time of human history, civilizations, cultures and groups have to relate to one another on a constant and continuous basis. Is this to lead to a clash of civilizations or can we ensure civilizational understanding, tolerance, co-operation and even harmony?

This is the greatest test of mankind.

All over the world, the most worrisome question is whether there will be war between the United States and China. If there is World War Three, mankind will be destroyed and all the potential of the AI era and the space age will come to nought.

Only civilizational understanding, co-operation, tolerance and harmony can save mankind from such self-destruction.

Malaysia, where there is unity of diversity, with its many races, religions, cultures and civilizations is uniquely placed to contribute to this global civilizational process, but first Malaysians must develop global mindsets.

I believe that Malaysia can contribute to this global civilizational harmony process, which will also be part of the national effort for Malaysia to rise again as a great world-class nation but that Rev. Dr. Sumana Siri can contribute to this process.

(Speech by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang at the celebration to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the monkhood of Rev. Dr. Sumana Siri in Penang on Sunday 1st September 2024 at 6 pm)

Anwar Ibrahim as Prime Minister has outlasted the three previous Prime Ministers – Ismail Sabri, Muhyiddin Yassin and Mahathir Mohamad in his second tenure as Prime Minister of Malaysia.

It has brightened the prospects of Anwar Ibrahim being re-elected as Prime Minsiter in the 16th General Election, whether in 2026 or 2027.

In recent years, Malaysia have regressed from its nation-building principles of moderation and inclusivity as embodied in the Constitution and Rukun Negara – to be a world example of the unity in diversity for various races, religions and cultures in the country.

The worsening of the Malaysian situation to greater polarisation is illustrated by more and more examples of intolerance and extremism as illustrated by the recent controversies where female singers were banned from performing on stage at temple functions, the role of brewery companies in facilitating fund-raising events in Chinese schools and the persistent spread of lies and misinformation that DAP wants to wipe out the Malays and Islam from Malaysia.

This is most unthinkable.

When I was a Form 3 student in Batu Pahat High ol, I wrote a poem titled My Dream for my class magazine, The Light, and it remains as relevant today some 67 years later:

One for all and all for one,

We care not what colour, creed or religion you belong,

For aren’t each of us Malaya’s son,

Then why let silly racial quarrels prolong?

This was why before the 1974 general election, I announced that Ibrahim Singgeh will be our Perak Mentri Besar if DAP formed the Perak State Government, why I insisted that Daeng Ibrahim and Nakhoda Hitam should stand in Ipoh in the seventies and Fadzlan Yahya in Teluk Intan in the eighties to become State Assemblymen and why I campaigned for Ahmad Nor in the Gopeng by-election in 1986 and Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud in the Teluk Intan by-election in 2014 although both lost.

This was also why Lim Guan Eng was disqualified as a Member of Parliament and went to prison because he defended the dignity of a underaged Malay girl.

There was never any thought or intention of DAP doing away with any race or religion in country for Malaysia belongs to all races, religions and cultures who have made Malaysia their home.

I have always believed that Malaysia can and must contribute to world civilisation dialogue and understanding because Malaysia is a confluence of world civilizations – Islam, Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism, Taoism, etc.

Malaysians will have multiple identities – ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural – but they have one common overriding identity as Malaysians.

Nobody is asking any Malaysian to forget that he or she is a Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban or Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Sikkh, Taoist, but everyone is first and foremost a Malaysian.

In 1995, the then Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad said that the policy of assimilation is not suitable for a plural society like Malaysia.

I am surprised that after six decades after the formation of Malaysia, there are still people preaching assimilation instead of integration in plural Malaysia.

This is best exemplified by Gerakan some of whose leaders think the Green Wave is inevitable, that they want to moderate this ‘inevitable’ Green Wave and help non-Malays and non-Muslims “swim” in the Green Wave.

Such thinking is against the Constitution and the five national objectives of the Rukun Negara, namely:

– Achieving and fostering better unity amongst the society;
Preserving a democratic way of life;

– Creating a just society where the prosperity of the country can be enjoyed together in a fair and equitable manner;

– Ensuring a liberal approach towards the rich and varied cultural traditions;

– Building a progressive society that will make use of science and modern technology.

It is also against the five principles of the Rukun Negara, viz:

– Belief in God
– Loyalty to the King and Country
– Supremacy of the Constitution
– Rule of Law
– Courtesy and Morality

The Deputy Yang di Pertuan Agong and Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrain
Shah recently called for greater tolerance and unity among followers of different faiths and urged the people to see one another as human first before judging them based on their religious beliefs.

He said at the Regional South East Asian Human Dignity Conference that those spouting the rhetoric of intolerance and exclusion wanted to convince people that those who were different from them were lesser than them, or “a threatening inhuman other”.

There is no inevitability in the rise of Green Wave in Malaysia as it violates the Constitution and the Rukun Negara.

Malaysia can only succeed and rise again as a great world-class nation if it remains true to the Constitution and the Rukun Negara.

(Statement by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang on Sunday, 18th August 2024)

In the United States, a great campaign is going on to decide in the next 90 days who will be the President of United States. Until some three weeks ago, there was nothing to watch was it was a battle between two old men. Now there is hope and vision for America, and the Democratic Candidate Kamala Harris has coined the slogan “We are not going back. We are going into the future.”

We in Malaysia should also be asserting “We are not going back. We are going into the future”.

In recent years, Malaysia have regressed from its nation-building principles of moderation and inclusivity as embodied in the Constitution and Rukun Negara – to be a world example of the unity in diversity for various races, religions and cultures in the country.

The worsening of the Malaysian situation to greater polarisation is illustrated by more and more examples of intolerance, extremism and polarisation as illustrated by the recent controversies over matriculation, the role of brewery companies in facilitating fund-raising events in Chinese schools, female singers banned from performing on stage at temple functions in Terengganu, and the persistent spread of lies and misinformation that DAP wants to wipe out the Malays from Malaysia.

This is most unthinkable.

When I was a Form 3 student in Batu Pahat High School, I wrote a poem titled My Dream for my class magazine, The Light, and it remains as relevant today some 67 years later:

One for all and all for one,

We care not what colour, creed or religion you belong,

For aren’t each of us Malaya’s son,

Then why let silly racial quarrels prolong?

This was why before the 1974 general election, I announced that Ibrahim Singgeh will be our Perak Mentri Besar if DAP formed the Perak State Government, why I insisted that Daeng Ibrahim and Nakoda Hitam should stand in Ipoh in the seventies and Fadzlan Yahya in Teluk Intan in the eighties to become Perak State Assemblymen and why I campaigned for Ahmad Nor in the Gopeng by-election in 1986 and Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud in the Teluk Intan by-election in 2014 although both lost.

This was also why Lim Guan Eng was disqualified as a Member of Parliament and went to jail for an underaged Malay girl.

We are all Malaysians, whether we are Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Dayaks or Muslims, Confucianists, Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Taoists or Sikkhists.

There was no thought or intention of DAP doing away with any race, religion or any culture in country for Malaysia belongs to all races, religions and cultures who have made Malaysia their home.

Malaysians will have multiple identities – ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural – but they have one common overriding identity as Malaysians.

Nobody is asking Malaysians to forget that he or she is a Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban or Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Sikkhist, Taoist, but everyone is first and foremost a Malaysian.

In 1995, the then Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad said that the policy of assimilation is not suitable for a plural society like Malaysia.

I am surprised that after six decades of the formation of Malaysia, there are still people preaching assimilation instead of integration in plural Malaysia.

This is best exemplified by some Gerakan leaders who think the Green Wave is coming, that they want to moderate the Green Wave and help non-Malays and non-Muslims “swim” in the Green Wave.

This is against the concept that Malaysia belongs to all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or culture. It is against the Constitution and the Rukun Negara, whose five national principles to strengthen national unity in Malaysia contained clearly the key to harmony and unity for the sake of the success and stability of the country.

They stated:

“Whereby Our Country, Malaysia nurtures the ambitions of:

– Achieving and fostering better unity amongst the society;
– Preserving a democratic way of life;
– Creating a just society where the prosperity of the country can be enjoyed together in a fair and equitable manner;
– Ensuring a liberal approach towards the rich and varied cultural traditions;
– Building a progressive society that will make use of science and modern technology.

“NOW THEREFORE, we, the people of Malaysia, pledge to concentrate our energy and efforts to achieve these ambitions based on the following principles:

– Belief in God
– Loyalty to the King and Country
– Supremacy of the Constitution
– Rule of Law
– Courtesy and Morality”

It is significant that the Deputy Yang di Pertuan Agong, Perak Sultan Nazrain Shah launched the Regional Southeast Asia Human Dignity Conference and called for greater tolerance and unity among followers of different faiths, urging them to see one another as human first before judging them based on their religious beliefs.

He said those spouting the rhetoric of intolerance and exclusion wanted to convince people that those who were different from them were lesser than them, or “a threatening inhuman other”.

He paid tribute to the Bishop of Kuching, Reverend Datuk Donald Jute, for contributing to the goal of “dignity for everyone, everywhere”.

I believe that Malaysia can and must contribute to world civilisation dialogue and understanding for two reasons, firstly because Malaysia is at the confluence of world civilisations – Islam, Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sikkhism and Taoism; and secondly, as far as back as 30 years ago in 1994, the Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim had proposed a dialogue of civilisations in his speech at the Georgetown University convocation in Washington.

I will like to modify my earlier proposal and suggest that a nine-nation committee be formed the implement the unanimous resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on June 7, 2024 to make June 10 as the International Day of Civilisational Dialogue – China, United States, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, India, Nigeria, Mexico and Malaysia.

I will one step further. I suggest that a Parliamentary Select Committee on Civilisational Dialogue be formed.

We must not regress to become a nation of extremes and polarisation of various races, religions and cultures – as the price will be a heavy one. We must not become a failed state but make our destiny to become a great world-class nation!

(Speech by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang at the dinner of DAP MPs on Thursday, 8th August 2024 in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate the conferment of DUPN on him by the Penang State Governor)

I had not expected to be immersively assaulted by the sights, sounds, lights and colours of the Encore Melaka Theatre, and although the story-line can be improved further, it is an experience not to be missed.

Designed by China’s state-owned Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, the state-of-the art theatre will seat more than 2,000 people on a one-of-a-kind 360-degree rotating platform.

It is located at the city’s waterfront and the 70-minutes long mega show reminiscing life stories of the locals with state-of-the-art production sets.

The audience will experience 360-degree rotating audience platform fronting a 240-meter long stage, multi-lifting platforms and a 3D mapping projection that creates virtual reality that travels through time. Encore Melaka is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Melaka City, Malaysia – a cutting-edge technology and innovative practices n theatre production.

It highlights what I proposed yesterday at the launching of the Chinese translation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s 1996 book on “The Asian Renaissance” of a seven-nation committee to make China’s proposal at the 78th UN General Assembly on June 7, 2024 to designate June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilisations meaningful and great namely China, India, United States, Iran, Egypt, Turkey and Malaysia.

The inclusion of Malaysia is because Malaysia is the meeting point of various civilisations, in particular Islam, Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, Taoism and Sikhism, a fact highlighted by the Encore Melaka show just now.

This is the occasion were Melaka and Malaysia can show the way into the future for the world.

I will suggest that Anwar Ibrahim and every Cabinet Minister should sense the assault of the sights, sounds, lights and colours of Encore Melaka,for they represent the diversity and inclusiveness of Malacca and Malaysia, by visiting Encore Melaka.

It will help them understand why this is the time of Civilisational Dialogue, so that we can escape the Thucydides Trap and there will be no World War Three between the United Staes and China but civilisational co-operation, understanding and hopefully fusion among civilisations.

I said yesterday that the 21st Century is the Asian century and all earthlings need a global mindset thinking beyond individuals, nations or even blocs of nations.

(Comments by DAP Veteran Lim Kit Siang after visiting the Encore Melaka Theatre’s Impression Series on Monday, 29th rJuly 2024 at 5.30 pm)

He said: “The question , however. is not whether civilizations will necessarily clash, rather whether civilizations ought to clash”.

In November 1998, then-president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, proposed a resolution to the United Nations General Assembly to declare a United Nations Year of the Dialogue among Civilizations.

Ironically, the designated year of dialogue was 2001, the year of 9/11 and the war against terrorism, giving great energy to the clash versus the dialogue side of the debate just when the dialogue counternarrative began to take hold.

This gave birth to the Alliance of Civilizations at the United Nations, the UNAOC, in 2005 under the leadership of then-Secretary General of UN, Kofi Annan, then-Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapater and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In a comment about the UN’s “unjust” structure, Erodogan asked: “As Alliance of Civilisation I’d like to ask: Does the UN Security Council represent the entire world? Do its members represent all religious groups in the world? No they don’t….If the UN exists for world peace, then it urgently needs reform.”

In the last two decades, neither the UN Year of the Dialogue among Civilisations nor the Alliance of Civilisations have shaped the world to avoid a Clash of Civilisations to the extent that the question that is frequently asked internationally today is whether the world can avoid the Thucydides Trap or will there be a World War Three between the United States and China.

It is most appropriate that China has initiated a resolution at the 78th UN General Assembly on June 7, 2024 to designate June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilisations.

As the UN under-secretary-general and the UN Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) high representative, Miguel Moratinos, said in a statement on the occasion, “dialogue among civilizations contributes to improving awareness of universal values of humanity and enhancing understanding of the value of cultural diversity”.

As the world undergoes profound changes, China’s proposal to designate June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilisations addresses the urgency to enhance mutual understanding and solidarity among civilizations through dialogue is most meaningful and momentous, especially as coming from the Chinese Communist Party.

I was at the time in Dunhuang in China with its spectacular Mogao Caves in the Gobi Desert, with their murals, sculptures, and treasury of manuscripts — a World Heritage Site – as it was meeting point of Buddhist and Central Asian art and culture with Chinese civilisation more than two thousand years ago..

China’s proposal in the United Nations General Assembly on June 7 to make June 10 the International Day for Civilisational Dialogue made my visit to Old Silk Road from Lanzhou to Urumqui, with a tour at Jiayuguan Pass at the end of Great Wall, particularly memorable.

In fact, I will go one step further.

The 21st Century is the Asian century and all earthlings need a global mindset thinking beyond individuals, nations or even blocs of nations.

The world must make China’s proposal to designate June 10 every year as the International Day for Civilisational Dialogue more successful than Iran’s proposal and the year 2001 as the United Nations Year of the Dialogue among the Civilisations or the Alliance of Civilisation idea.

I propose a seven-nation committee from various civilisations to implement China’s proposal of June 10 every year as International Day for Civilisational Dialogue — the nations being China, India, United States, Iran, Egypt, Turkey and Malaysia.

The inclusion of Malaysia is because Malaysia is the meeting point of various civilisations, in particular Islam, Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, Taoism and Sikhism

This international perspective make the publication of the Chinese translation of “The Asian Renaissance” in plural Malaysia particularly appropriate and relevant.

But it is not only the international aspect that this translation is appropriate and relevent.

I will even say that “the Asian Renaissance” will serve as Anwar’s report card as Prime Minister in the 16th General Elections in 2026 or 2027.

In the Chapter on “Islam in Southeast Asia”, he wrote:

1. “Islam came to Southeast Asia borne on the seas by Sufis and merchants rather than overland by soldiers brandishing swords. Conversion was by choice, not coercion, beginning with the urban ruling class and the trading community…(p 111)

2. “This peaceful and gradual Islamization has moulded the Southeast Asian Muslim psyche into one which is cosmopolitan, open-minded, tolerant and amenable to cultural diversity. Of course, their outlook is also fashioned by the strong presence of people of other faiths who reciprocate Muslim tolerance. Unlike non-Muslims in the West, their perception of Islam is not distorted by the prism of the Crusades…(p 112)

3. “By being moderate and pragmatic, Southeast Asian Muslims are neither compromising the teachings and ideals of Islam nor pandering to the whims and fancies of the times. On the contrary, such an approach is necessary to realize the social ideals of Islam such as justice, equitable distribution of wealth, fundamental rights and liberties. This approach is sanctioned in a saying of the Prophet of Islam, to the effect that ‘the best way to conduct your affairs is to choose the middle path.’”(p 113)

Anwar must be prepared to be judged as Prime Minister by his writings in this book.

If by the next general election Anwar is judged to have failed to measure up to lofty ideals of his book, he will suffer a grievous result: whether his premiership upholds the principle of cultural diversity – transcending the differences in ethnicity, culture and faith – safeguard the core values such as justice, virtue, compassion and public accountability or committed to end social inequalities, corruption, denial of basic liberties and downright oppression.

We are in the era of social media. If Malaysia and Asia can show the world how to deal with the extremism, intolerance, hate, lies and misinformation of the social media, to bring about and more inclusive and cohesive world, then global civilisation would have achieved a new breakthrough.

Then Anwar will join the ranks among Asian Renaissance statesmen such as Rabindranath Tagore, Mohammad Iqbal, Joe Rizal, Sun Yat Sen and Mahatma Gandhi and even become a World Renaissance personality.

(Speech by veteran DAP Lim Kit Siang at the launching of the Chinese translation of Anwar Ibrrahim’s Asian Renaissance at the New Era College on Sunday, July 28 at 11 a.m)

I am retired from DAP politics but I agree with a PKR Member of Parliament that the Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has three years left from suffering the same fate as former UK Premier Rishi Sunak.

Anwar has survived longer than the two previous backdoor Prime Minsters – Muhyiddin Yassin who was Prime Minster for l7 months and Ismail Sabri who was Prime Minster for 13 months.

I can understand the concerns of the Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, in his first 20 months in office to secure Malay political support as there is nothing to show if he proves to be a Prime Minister with a shorter span in office than his two predecessors.

But at the end of his five-year mandate, he must stand on his record of institutional reforms and changes which he had promised as leader of Pakatan Harapan in the 15th General Election if he is not to end up as another Rishi Sunak.

I had hoped that the Sungai Bakap by-election will be like the Indian general elections where the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s victory was a defeat for his Hindutva supremacist and autocratic polices winning 240 MPs instead of the expected 400 MPs.

But it was not to be.

But there is still hope as could be seen by the election of a moderate President of Iran, Masoud Pezeskian against a slate of extremists early this month.

We must learn from the Sungai Bakap by-election. The next three years will be decisive not only determining the outcome of the first Anwar Ibrahim premiership but in determining whether Malaysia can rise to be a great world-class nation or be a failed state.

For Malaysia to be a great world-class nation, it is essential that we achieve the Malaysian Dream vision – where Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Dayaks or Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Sikhists, Taoists must be united and produce world-class talents and have global mindsets to influence civilisational dialogues to prevent war between the great powers and to build international peace and development.

We must also return to the moderate compact all communities, religions and states reached in the Malaysian Constitution pledging Malaysia will be a moderate country and while Islam is the official religion, all Malaysians can practice in peace and harmony their religious beliefs.

This is one of the things which I would like to promote – civilisational dialogues and understanding instead of a clash of civilisations.

Last month, I was in Dunhuang with its spectacular Mogao Caves in the Gobi Desert, with their murals, sculptures, and treasury of manuscripts — a World Heritage Site as it was meeting point of Buddhist and Central Asian art and culture with Chinese civilisation — and Jiayuguan Pass at the end of Great Wall on the old Silk Road from Lanzhou to Urumqi.

What made my trip to China particularly memorable was the China proposal in the United Nations General Assembly on June 7 to make June 10 the International Day for Civilisational Dialogue.

I celebrated the first International Day for Civilisational Dialogue at the steppes in Xinjiang with its rolling plains.

The Chinese resolution in the UN General Assembly, which was adopted unanimously, was most appropriate.

Thirty years ago, our Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was the foremost exponent of civilisational dialogue, countering the American political scientist, Samuel Huntington’s thesis of “The Clash of Civilisations”, even before the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution proposed by the then Iran President, Seyed Mohammad Khatami on 4th November 1998 to designate the year 2001 as the United Nations Year of the dialogue among Civilisations.

Since then, the idea of dialogue among Civilisations had been made the object of a plethora of conferences and international meetings. But Anwar was responsible for an earlier Islam-Confucianism Civilisational Dialogue before he was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.

This is the global century century and all earthlings need global mindsets and thinking beyond individuals, nations or even blocs of nations.

The world must make China’s proposal to designate June 10 every year as the International Day for Civilisational Dialogue more successful than Iran’s proposal to the year 2001 the United Nations Year of the dialogue among the Civilisations.

Malaysia as the meeting point of various civilisations, in particular Islamic, Chinese, Indian, and Western, should have a special role to play this civilisational dialogue and understanding.

Another thing I am interested in is to form a gathering of 100 years old. This morning during my walk, I was asked how I survived cancer. It is important not only to have global mindsets, we must have a positive attitude to life.

We must dismiss the negative attitude that we are to die any moment, replaced by the attitude that we want to live to 100 years old. We may not live to 100 years old but we must have a positive attitude.

Recently, DAP MP for Bukit Bendera, Syerleena Abdul Rashid, wrote an opinion piece over the misleading and inaccurate oversimplification for the complex issue by a PAS MP Salamiah Mohd Noor with regard to the decision of couples to remain child-free, attributing the trend to liberal influences, when the decision were due to “deeply complex and multi-faceted reasons” due to career aspirations, environmental concerns and the desire to maintain a certain quality of life.

What will the population of China expected to be in the year 2,100?

Let me read from a recent article which appeared three months ago

”China’s population of 1.4 billion people is the largest in the world, right? Not anymore. In 2023 India surpassed China as the most populous country. China’s population began shrinking in 2022, and the latest United Nations report indicates that it could slip to 1.3 billion in 2050 and then plummet to only 770 million in 2100.

“As this news spreads, warnings of a looming crisis are growing louder. Perhaps most concerning of these is that China will not have enough young people to grow the economy or support older adults. But China’s declining populace could be a cause for opportunity rather than a crisis. China could arrive at a stable and sustainable population of around one billion in 2100. At this level, it is possible for the country to remain a global superpower and for its citizens to become even more prosperous, with its older adults well cared for. And China’s experience in making this transition could provide valuable lessons for many other countries that will have a declining population in the coming decades.

“The Chinese Communist Party has flipped its population policy twice since assuming power in 1949. Initially the policy was very pronatalist—it promoted reproduction and a high national birth rate. Then in 1979 a strict one-child policy was adopted alongside the economic reforms launched by former leader Deng Xiaoping that fueled China’s extraordinary economic rise. In 2015, prompted by a sharply falling birth rate, a pronatalist policy was reintroduced that allowed two-child families, and a policy that allowed three-child families was introduced in 2021.

“The most recent policy statement came from Chinese president Xi Jinping in his address to the 13th National Women’s Congress in October 2023: “We should actively foster a new type of marriage and childbearing culture.” Other addresses at the Congress reflected a shift away from gender equality, even to the point of suggesting that women leave the labor force to have children. Such pronatalist policies run against the sentiment among a large segment of China’s youth, however. And many people do not want to have one or more children.

“China’s population decline raises fundamental issues about childbearing, dependency ratios and “optimum” population size.”

In February, Newsweek reported that Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) said that China’s population of over 1.4 billion could drop by a precipitous 60 per cent by the end of the century, i.e. some 525 million.

Are these forecasts the result of the Chinese Communist Party being influenced by men marrying men, women marrying women, the liberals, the LGBT?

I leave these as food for thought, for those who are interested in civilisations and living to 100 years old, they can get in touch with me, and we can see where we go from here.

(Speech by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang at the launching of Impian Malaysia Gallery in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, 17th July 2024)

A lesson that Malaysia must rapidly learn is to control the abuses of social media, which had been used to spread lies and falsehoods to divide the country.

The DAP was accused of being anti-Malay and anti-Islam, of wanting for Malaysia to be dominated by the Chinese or even worse, of wanting to eliminate the Malays and Islam from Malaysia.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The DAP is a Malaysian organisation comprising all the races, religions, and states in the country.

We want Malaysia to be a great world-class nation and not a failed country, and this is possible if we follow the moderate path and get the best from all the races and religions in the country.

But all is not lost as illustrated by the election of a moderate candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian as the ninth president of Iran yesterday.

We must return to the moderate compact all communities, religions and states reached in the Malaysian Constitution pledging Malaysia will be a moderate country and while Islam is the official religion, all Malaysians can practice in peace and harmony their religious beliefs.

Last month, I was in Dunhuang with its spectacular Mogao Caves in the Gobi Desert, with their murals, sculptures, and treasury of manuscripts — a World Heritage Site as it was meeting point of Buddhist and Central Asian art and culture with Chinese civilisation — and Jiayuguan Pass at the end of Great Wall on the old Silk Road from Lanzhou to Urumqi.

What made my trip to China particularly memorable was the China proposal in the United Nations General Assembly on June 7 to make June 10 the International Day for Civilisational Dialogue.

I celebrated the first International Day for Civilisational Dialogue at the steppes in Xinjiang with its rolling plains.

The Chinese resolution in the UN General Assembly, which was adopted unanimously, was most appropriate.

Thirty years ago, our Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was the foremost exponent of civilisational dialogue, countering the American political scientist, Samuel Huntington’s thesis of “The Clash of Civilisations”, even before the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution proposed by the then Iran President, Seyed Mohammad Khatami on 4th November 1998 to designate the year 2001 as the United Nations Year of the dialogue among Civilisations.

Since then, the idea of dialogue among Civilisations had been made the object of a plethora of conferences and international meetings. But Anwar was responsible for an earlier Islam-Confucianism Civilisational Dialogue before he was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.

This is the Asian century in the 21st century and all earthlings need a global mindset thinking beyond individuals, nations or even blocs of nations.

The world must make China’s proposal to designate June 10 every year as the International Day for Civilisational Dialogue more successful than Iran’s proposal to the year 2001 the United Nations Year of the dialogue among the Civilisations.

We have ancient and current civilisations and I propose a seven-nation committee in the United Nations to implement China’s proposal of June 10 every year as International Day for Civilisational Dialogue — the nations being China, India, United States, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and Malaysia.

The inclusion of Malaysia is because Malaysia is the meeting point of various civilisations, in particular Islamic, Chinese, Indian, and Western.

(Speech by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang at the Negeri Sembilan DAP Veterans Club Dinner in Mambau, Negeri Sembilan on Sunday, 7th July 2024 at 8 pm)

The DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke was right to dismiss Romen Bose’s claims as the thought that Najib’s ex-aide attributed to me never occurred to me, and I do not know what he was talking about with his further claim that my endeavour was “quite successful”.

I have not read Romen Bose’s latest book Shattered Hopes, but he should not be pulling things from thin air.

The DAP is in good hands and since my political retirement in March 2022, I have been thinking of the past and the future of mankind.

A few days ago, I was in Bujang Valley in Kedah where archaeological discoveries await confirmation that Malaysia has the oldest civilization of some 2,500 years — older than the 1,200 year-old Borobudur in Indonesia or the 1,000-year old Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Early this month, I was in Dunhuang with its spectacular Mogao Caves in the Gobi Desert, with their murals, sculptures, and treasury of manuscripts — a World Heritage Site as it was meeting point of Buddhist and Central Asian art and culture with Chinese civilisation — and Jiayuguan Pass at the end of Great Wall on the old Silk Road from Lanzhou to Urumqi.

What made my trip to China particularly memorable was the China proposal in the United Nations General Assembly on June 7 to make June 10 the International Day for Civilisational Dialogue.

I celebrated the first International Day on Civilisational Dialogue at the steppes in Xinjiang with its rolling plains.

The Chinese resolution in the UN General Assembly, which was adopted unanimously, was most appropriate.

Thirty years ago, our Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was the foremost exponent of civilisational dialogue, countering the American political scientist, Samuel Huntington’s thesis of “The Clash of Civilisations”, even before the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution proposed by the then Iran President, Seyed Mohammad Khatami on 4th November 1998 to designate the year 2001 as the United Nations Year of the dialogue among Civilisations. Since then, the idea of dialogue among Civilisations had been made the object of a plethora of conferences and international meetings. Anwar was responsible for an earlier Islam-Confucianism Civilisational Dialogue before he was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.

This is the Asian century in the 21st century and all earthlings need a global mindset thinking beyond individuals, nations or even blocs of nations.

I was particularly appreciative that I was in Janda Baik yesterday at the flagging off of the three-month 10,000 kilometre journey between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing by two Malaysian septuagenarian cyclists to commemorate the 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China. These two septuagenarians gave hope to Malaysians there is no reason why they should not live to be centenarians.

(Speech by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang at the dinner of DAP MPs at the Glass Mansion, Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 1st July 2024)