Speech (2) by Lim Kit Siang at the launching of the DAP Pasir Pinji Election Operation Centre in Ipoh on Thursday, 31^st January 2008 at 1 pm:

Denial of Barisan Nasional two-thirds majority in Parliament and Perak state assembly should be the common objective of all Malaysians who want to see change and improvement in Malaysian politics and nation-building

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad is right when he said yesterday that the Barisan Nasional (BN) and UMNO are incapable of reforming themselves without pressures from the electorate.

Mahathir warned that if the voters back the Barisan Nasional government once again in the coming polls, it would be an endorsement for a coalition “centred on nepotism and corruption”.

He also expressed the hope that Barisan Nasional supporters will not vote in “corrupt and inefficient” leaders in the next general election.

I fully agree with Mahathir and this is why the denial of the Barisan Nasional two-thirds majority in Parliament and the Perak state assembly should be the common objective of all Malaysians who want to see change and improvement in Malaysian politics and nation-building.

There are 59 seats in the Perak state assembly and at least 20 seats must be wrested from the Barisan Nasional to deny it the two-thirds majority. DAP is focusing on winning 15 state assembly seats in Perak (I had mentioned the target of winning 4 Parliamentary and 12 state seats in the Kinta Valley last week). If Parti Keadilan Rakyat, together with PAS, can secure five to seven seats, then a historic new beginning for Perak will be the outcome of the next general election.

At the national level, there are a total of 222 parliamentary seats, which would require a minimum of 75 seats to deny the Barisan Nasional its unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority – the root cause for UMNO political hegemony of the country.

Mahathir said yesterday that even if UMNO loses 20, 30 of their candidates, the Barisan Nasional is going to win. I will say that even if UMNO loses 30 to 40 parliamentary seats, Barisan Nasional is still the government and UMNO the “big brother”!

The denial of the BN’s two-third parliamentary majority must be regarded as the first imperative of all Malaysians who want to see the start of change in Malaysian politics and nation-building after the next general election.

DAP should focus on 30-40 parliamentary seats, while Parti Keadilan Rakyat and PAS on another batch of 40-50 parliamentary seats.

If there is a 85% success rate in these 90 parliamentary constituencies targeted by the Opposition, then the 2008 general election will return a historic result where although the Barisan Nasional is returned to power, it is bereft of its two-thirds parliamentary majority – which will be the most potent instrument to usher in a new democracy in Malaysia with a national government that will be forced to walk the talk of accountability, transparency, integrity, justice and democracy.

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* Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader, MP for Ipoh Timur & DAP Central Policy and Strategic Planning Commission Chairman