From Steven Sim

One of the first things I did when I became an MP in 2013 was to read Lim Kit Siang’s “Time Bombs in Malaysia: Problems of Nation-building in Malaysia”. The book was a compilation of Lim’s debate speeches in Parliament throughout the 1970s, following a dark period of the 21-month suspension of Parliament after the May 13 incident in 1969.

Since then, I have been encouraging new MPs and assemblymen to read the book – soak up the issues, the trains of thoughts, the meticulous research, the articulation. This is the kind of quality a DAP wakil rakyat’s debate should aspire to.

Reading the book gave me a strange sense of reversed déjà vu – what I read from a book written decades before sounded very similar to what I read in the news yesterday.

The names and figures might be different but the issues were the same.

The Malaysian labour market in the 1970s

In 1973, amidst booming petrol prices, inflation in Malaysia shot up so much that by the end of the year, the then finance minister Tan Siew Sin declared inflation to be “our number one economic problem”.

When Parliament convened to debate the budget in December the same year, the Bandar Melaka MP, a 32-year old Lim eloquently called for the government to implement several “anti-inflationary” measures in the budget.

Other than fiscal restructuring and tax reform measures, Lim pushed for more drastic labour market reforms to be implemented.

The logic is obvious: any economic reforms must empower ordinary Malaysians, the workers.

In Lim’s own words: “economic growth and prosperity must be translated into personal terms for every Malaysian, particularly the poor”.

At that time, unemployment was high and wages were low.

Against reports that there was a labour shortage, Lim said: “What Malaysia had was not labour shortage, with our 8% unemployment rate, but cheap labour shortage.”

As such Lim called on the government to increase allowances for public sector workers, implement minimum wage policy for private sector workers, ensure better social security, and arrest the brain drain, among others.

One must remember, this was a speech made more than half a century ago, demonstrating Lim’s vision ahead of his time.

About half a year later, Lim stood up in Parliament to move a private member’s bill to introduce a basic living wage for workers.

Dr Chen Man Hin, Lim and DAP have been advocating for minimum wage since the early 70s. This was, in Lim’s words, “to prevent capitalist exploitation of cheap labour”.

In fact, Lim criticised Malaysian ministers at that time who went overseas to attract foreign investment with the offer of “very cheap and docile labour, where the capitalists are allowed free rein in their exploitation of labour”.

He argued that “the enactment of minimum legislation would be an instrument to ensure a fairer distribution of incomes from the fruits of economic development for the workers”.

In July 1976, Lim also championed a new anti-discrimination at work legislation “to confer upon an employee the right not to be unfairly dismissed, whether it is for reasons of race, colour, marital status, religion, political opinion…”

This not only stemmed from his steadfast commitment towards ensuring job security for workers but also his firm belief in a just Malaysian society, regardless of race, religion, and social class.

Building on Lim Kit Siang’s legacy

When I became an MP in 2013, on the one hand, I felt proud to be the latest in the long line of tradition where DAP MPs stood up in Parliament to speak for the people in the august hall.

My maiden speech in Parliament on June 26, 2013 addressed the issue of unemployment, underemployment, women in the labour force, and social security.

On the other hand, mindful of this privilege to stand on the shoulders of giants like Chen, P Patto, Karpal Singh and Lim, I was extremely humbled.

Then about one year ago, I was appointed the human resources minister. I know this was my opportunity to implement what we have been preaching, tracing back 50 years to the time when a young Lim stood in Parliament.

I laid down a vision for the 15,000-strong staff in the ministry.

Every worker in Malaysia can go to work in an honourable environment, receive a dignified compensation, and at the end of every work day, every worker in Malaysia can go home safely to be with their family and loved ones.

In order to achieve these objectives, in the last year, the ministry moved eight major labour legislations to improve wages, increase social security, strengthen occupational safety and health, promote union movement, provide more training opportunities for workers and protect workers’ rights.

When Lim spoke in 1973, unemployment was almost 8%. Unemployment today is at a 10-year low of 3.1%.

Not only does Malaysia now have a minimum wage law, but we also recently increased the minimum wage by RM200 per month (to RM1,700). This was complemented by other wage growth strategies such as the Progressive Wage Policy, stronger collective bargaining power through labour unions, and upskilling efforts to improve productivity.

Civil service salary was also increased after 12 years of stagnation.

The ministry is targeting to table a historic gig workers law in two weeks’ time to ensure protection for workers in the new economy emerging out of new technology in the 21st century. We would be one of the earliest countries to do so globally, demonstrating Malaysia’s commitment towards justice for workers.

In July 1976, Lim first called for a legislation on anti-discrimination at work to be enacted in Parliament. Exactly 48 years later in July 2024, I tabled the amendment to the Sabah Labour Ordinance, and later, Sarawak Labour Ordinance, so that now we have anti-discrimination clauses writ into all three labour legislations in the country, namely the Employment Act for Semenanjung Malaysia, the Sabah Labour Ordinance and the Sarawak Labour Ordinance.

Carrying the torch in our generation

Lim served as an MP for 48 years. Through all these years, he not only became the archetype of a fearless politician who gave voice to the voiceless, he also became a model MP whose debate speeches were exemplary of articulate and forceful yet well-researched, no-nonsense oration.

But Lim himself never became a minister or a deputy minister.

One question I am often asked is, “Is Lim Kit Siang qualified to be a minister?”

I am convinced Lim is more than qualified to be a minister. Yes, he may have been known as Mr Opposition throughout his career in politics, but the vision he had half a century ago eventually became the defining policies and laws of our times. That itself is a vindication of both his foresight and ability to be part of the governing leadership.

Yet he did not become minister. He had an opportunity in 2018, being part of the leadership of Pakatan Harapan during the historic regime change in Malaysia. Lim instead gave way to younger leaders and eventually announced his retirement from frontline politics.

The magnanimity is clear but also the selfless spirit. He covets neither power nor positions, always putting the nation’s interest above his own.

After winning 16 Parliamentary seats in the 1978 general election, the biggest ever by an opposition party in Malaysia up to that time, there were rumours that DAP was in negotiation to join the government.

Dispelling those rumours, Lim wrote: “We in the DAP are reasonable people. But we will be firm and unyielding in a reasonable way. We will seek, for the interests of the country and for the future of our children, to make the government see our point of view, to understand the people’s deepest hopes and dreams.

“We will do this by speaking up inside and outside Parliament and the state assemblies, and in meetings with the prime minister and other government leaders. We will do so, not to ask for minister or deputy minister posts or to get entry into the ruling coalition, but to change the thinking and assessments by all political leaders on basic problems of the nation.” (emphasis mine)

This is the value we, the younger generation members of DAP, inherited from Lim. Value encapsulated in Lim’s own words, which were published in “Time Bombs in Malaysia”:

• “We in the DAP are Malaysian patriots from all racial backgrounds, who want to see the preservation and strengthening of a democratic political system, where every citizen has an equal stake in the political and economic future of the country, with the right to lead a meaningful life and ample opportunities to achieve self-fulfilment.
• “It is only such a society that can defuse the multiple time-bombs ticking away in Malaysia.
• “The DAP will give the Government every co-operation and support in policies which will contribute to greater national unity, a stronger democratic system, and a more just economic and social order. We will not hesitate however to continue to speak out and oppose what we see as forces and developments and policies which will create greater national disunity and weaken the forces of democracy and social justice.”

Happy 84th Birthday, Lao Da, Saudara Lim Kit Siang. We will keep the flame burning and in time due, pass on the torch.

Steven Sim is the human resources minister.

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