DAP's eminence grise

1. I feel sad that Lim Kit Siang has retired. But he deserves a rest. The man now must be in his eighties.

2. He deserves the outpouring of love showed by the dap delegates. But he leaves a stronger and forthright DAP. He has laid the foundation.

3. Many in the DAP called him lao da. I don't know what that means, but it must be a term of endearment. Out of deference, I refer to him as Mr Lim.

4. Now, allow me to say something about LKS in my own way. What he represents and the way he lived.

5. It was probably in 1976 when I first read LKS in his time bombs in Malaysia. Here was a man with an indomitable spirit. He argues for a non-racist and corruption free Malaysia. I was a 2nd year UM student in economics.

6. I first saw LKS in UM at the DTC. He was participating in the GED with, among others, the late Dato Asri. While Dato Asri was long-winded LKS was direct and plain speaking.

7. LKS's explanation for all the corruption, the intransigences and the blatant racism in this country was straightforward.

8. It's because we allowed the powers that be, to do as they pleased. That explanation stucked with me until today.

9. That's an earthy version of the quotation, the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to sit and do nothing.

10. By the way, that quotation is routinely but wrongly attributed to Edmund Burke. It was actually said by the economist JS Mill.

11. What Kit Siang says has got resonance until today. It is because the good men keep quiet, the bad men come to the fore.

12. The bad people celebrate and adulate crooks who plunder the country. They flatter crooks like Najib and Zahid. We allowed them to spun cock-and-bull narratives.

13. We allowed the country to be run by incompetent fools. We are also severally liable for ruining the country.

14. The majority of us trivialised what lks said, regarding it as just an off the cuff response. Many students can't wait to join the bourgeois class.

15. But some of us modelled ourselves from the unflinching resolve of Mr. Lim. But never in my wildest dream that one day I will join DAP and obtained the friendship of Mr Lim. It is a singular honour.

16. Dap then was not attractive to me. I was more attracted ideologically to the theoretical psrm, when komrad kassim was still alive. I owed my ideolical fervour to reading a book written by a Chinese gentleman in Malay, named as Mr Lee Ban Chen.

17. The single mindedness, the Determination, and resolve of the man are elements of his pièce de résistance.

18. If I remember correctly, he had been a journalist. He earned a law degree while under the Draconian ISA. That's a testament of his determination!

19. Throughout the years, the single-mindedness of his purpose-to redress, articulate and write about the injustices of an increasingly invasive government, never wavered.

20. He succeeded in attracting countless, many talented and equally determined people. People like Anthony Loke, Liew Chin Tong, Lip Eng, Tony Pua, Ong Kian Meng, Yeo Bee Yin, the persistent and BN-anoying Teresa Kok, Hannah Yeoh, Neoh Nih chin and many others chose DAP.

21. His enthusiasm and messianic zeal must have rubbed off to ordinary DAP members too.

22. I remember in my teens, when my late uncle Zulkifli Mohd contested against Tun Razak in Pekan, there was this DAP man who was a teacher then, would cycle every day to my grandfather's house to help out in any way in the campaign. Not paid at all.

23. Nothing is too trivial to him. When I contested in Raub, on the evening of vote counting, Kit Siang called me to find out how is it going.

24. We were already leading in two of 3 duns. But I was circumspect, saying that the results from 1 dun were not out yet.

25. OK he said. We will say you hoped to win. As it turned out, we carried the raub parliamentary seat and a state seat of teras.

26. LKS came to Raub on a number of occasions. When he came, the people showed genuine affection. Especially the love shown by the Chinese comminity. Even the malays warmed up to him. The dispossessed Indians adored him.

27. For example, when he came to Sempalit, people come out in droves, including the retinue of SB officers. The handicap would come out in their specialised vehicles to hear him. When he went to Sungai Ruan, he got the same reception. Ah sos would come up to him asking for his autographs to be signed on their shirts.

28. The genuine love shown did not arise because he was born from so-and-so. The outpouring was in response to LKS being consistent over the years and being true to his principles. The love based on these are enduring. He is very unlike bossku.

29. Other DAP luminaries came to Raub after him. Teresa kok came on a number of occassions. Tony Pua and Kian Meng came to qthis musang king district. Ronnie
Iiew came to his hometown. Nicole Tan from negri sembilan went there too. Kashturi Patto stepped foot in felda tersang. Anthony Loke also came. 'Superman' of Perak was also there. And others whom I may have forgotten. I hope i will be forgiven.

30. The true measure of lks which elicited genuine affection is because he lived mostly because of his principles.

31. The lesson I personally learnt from this man was like what Churchill said...never never never give up.

32. Let me end this short essay by quoting Churchill once again. It should be a guidance to my DAP comrades. It's also a reflection of lks's principles.

33. Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.