Former science, technology and environment minister Law Hieng Ding delivered his farewell speech in Parliament this morning. These are excerpts of his 30-min speech.


THIS is my farewell speech in this august Dewan which I am proud to be a member of for more than three decades. I am very honoured to have served a total of two terms in the Senate and six terms as a Member of Parliament.

As I will be retiring on my own accord in order to give way to the young, I will not be defending my Sarikei parliamentary seat in the coming general election, the seat which I have the privilege to hold in trust for the government since 1982.

As I stand before you all today, I am feeling sentimental with a sense of nostalgia and attachment to all honourable members of the House and to this great Parliament of ours.

All these years of walking in and out of this Dewan, I have come to take for granted. But today, I suddenly realise that I am going to miss Parliament. Very soon, I may not even be allowed to enter this august House.

On a more personal and lighter note, Tan Sri Speaker, your good self, me and others in their late 60's and 70's are parliamentary veterans who will soon become extinct like dinosaurs. But I know all of us will only be replaced in time to come by very capable, younger legislators. I pray that our new MPs may shoulder the trust placed in them by the rakyat with determination and a high sense of selflessness and responsibility.

I am also grateful to be given the opportunity to serve the government under four prime ministers - the late Tun Abdul Razak, the late Tun Hussein Onn, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Indeed, I have to say that I have been very fortunate to serve four out of five prime ministers who were all exemplary leaders, imbued with great leadership visions, skills, styles and acumen. All of them had set very good examples in ensuring the success of Malaysia in all spheres and had left legacies for future generations of Malaysian leaders to emulate.

I am also fortunate to be able to work with good, cooperative, understanding and responsible Cabinet colleagues and an equally dynamic Civil Service.

Politically, I am grateful for the staunch support and cooperation extended to me by the people of all walks of life, particularly those in Sarikei and Bintangor who have supported me all these years. I urge them to continue to support my successor in the coming general election..

As a senior member of the Dewan, allow me to speak of my personal dreams for this beloved country of ours. Needless to say, Malaysia is a great country and she can only grow more dynamic, stronger and greater.

Dreams

So what can we learn as an independent nation for the past 50 years? We have learnt a lot indeed.

n 1957, I was a freshie in university and had witnessed the pride and joy of Malayans as the Malay Peninsula attained independence from Britain.

It has been 50 years since and needless to say, I am most fortunate and proud to be a part of Malaysia's growth and achievements in many fields - as a private citizen for seven of those years and for 43 years serving the government in various capacities.

Yes, it is paramount that we must never take the good things in this country for granted. The racial and religious harmony and tolerance which has been an inspiration for other countries should be further nurtured. Our economic prosperity must be further enhanced. Our harmonious ties with nations of the world must be strengthened.

On a more philosophical note, my dream of a future Malaysia which our future generations can truly be proud of should comprise four main elements - (1) Green mountains (2) Clean water (3) Clear skies and (4) Rich people.

It is true that I may be philosophical but all these four elements encompass what would really make a great country with a great people. Needless to say, we must start with a nature that must be at peace with itself and a clean, unpolluted environment. That will give us clean air and water. Others, including a regular supply of rich, natural resources and a nation of healthy people will ensure the emergence of a new class of "rich Malaysians".

By 'rich', I do not mean material wealth alone. Future Malaysians must aspire to reach greater heights in science and technology, for example. This will help the nation to keep abreast of new developments around the world which are constantly evolving.

'Rich' Malaysians also mean a nation of people rich in culture and humility, rich in family and moral values, rich in knowledge and education, rich in understanding and spirit of cooperation, rich in love and compassion, rich in discipline and culture of working hard, rich in the spirit of religious and racial harmony and tolerance, and as a result of which rich economically and financially.

We must have a Malaysian people who no longer identify themselves on race - Malay, Chinese, Indian, Dayak, Kadazan, Orang Asli, etc. The proud citizens of this country must consider themselves as "Malaysians" first and foremost - Malaysians with equal rights and opportunities in the bright, sunny, clear Malaysian skies.

Education

I am happy to learn that our Government has one very important educational thrust - free education up to SPM. This should be further strengthened to ensure that all our school-going children, particularly the urban poor and those in the rural areas, continue to benefit from this thrust. But of course, all should be encouraged to aim higher - up to tertiary level where possible.

I am convinced that having an education is one way of eradicating poverty. If one member of the family has an education, the other family members can also be expected to do well or at worst, they will not have to suffer or be mired in poverty. The educated family member is there to help out.

The old adage "Give them a fish and you feed them for a day but teach them how to fish and you feed them for life" rings true is this case. All young Malaysians must now get an education. There should not be two ways around that and our government must ensure that education reaches all Malaysians who want and need it in the future.

Higher education in Malaysia has also made great progress and it is my hope and prayer that every Malaysian student who is academically qualified will get the chance to enter college or university. Family hardships should not stand in the way of these bright, young Malaysians from getting the paper qualification they deserve.

'Unity in Diversity' has been the hallmark of our nation's successes. An educated citizenry will ensure that hallmark be maintained because there will be minimal social woes and other unwanted ills like those plaguing other developing countries.

We must continue to exploit our unique diversity in language and culture for the benefit of our nation building process

It is also imperative for our people to be grateful for the foundations laid in the past and not blindly criticize without taking into consideration of the progress of time, the circumstances and the resources avail in those times that our past leaders had to work with. We must take cognizance of the fact that different issues occurred and different forms of action had to be taken at different eras.

Economy

This year's Budget has been a good, painless and people-oriented plan which will bring greater benefit to the citizens of this country. I declare my full support for the Budget.

Tan Sri Speaker, I seek your indulgence for a few more minutes to share my thoughts on other issues of interest.

I dream of the day when Malaysia could emerge as a model of the success stories of Scandinavian countries, and Switzerland - a small, neutral nation able to survive on its own; its people enjoying a high standard of living and free from any form of internal strife.

Malaysia's economy has benefited from several factors, including a stable political environment, an effective bureaucracy, flexible economic policies, export-oriented industrialization, and inflow of foreign direct investments (FDIs).

This has brought prosperity and a high level of confidence to the majority of the population. The country has a healthy, rapidly growing economy while inflation remains low and is under control. In 1999 and 2000, Malaysia achieved strong economic recovery and, if economic growth at an annual rate of 7.4 percent continues, within the next 20-30 years Malaysia may join the international club of developed nations. This is possible provided Malaysia's future economic policies are realistic, pragmatic and flexible enough to face the challenges and demands of globalisation and liberalisation of the world's economy.

In the longer term, Malaysia will need to maintain its international competitiveness, since there is growing competition from other emerging markets for FDIs and for the transfer of modern technologies.

Environmental issues are also important for Malaysia in the longer term as deforestation and global climate change may undermine the country's agriculture, which still plays an important role in the national economy. .

I think we must also emphasise strongly on a 'Knowledge- Economy' as it is very important for the future of the country. As our natural resources will eventually 'dry up', a people knowledgeable in ICT will be able to continue making greater strides for the nation.

The 'Service-Economy' sector like education, medical, banking, insurance, logistics, tourism etc should also be strengthened. Already, we are well known in the medical field, like the recent historical double heart-transplant feat achieved by the National Heart Institute.

It is also imperative for Malaysia to bank on its advantage of a multi-lingual citizenry. We can be a 'language learning' centre for many foreigners who want to learn another language other than their own. Nurses from China, for example, can learn English in Malaysia before they proceed to other countries to seek gainful employment.

These are some of the areas where Malaysia could seriously concentrate on in the future.

Barisan Nasional parties

I have to say I am so proud to be involved in the Barisan Nasional since its inception. In 1970, my party - the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) - was a partner in the first Sarawak Coalition Government. This was later to become the Barisan Nasional (BN).

The BN Government has been the mainstay of this country for the past few decades. It is a trusted, reliable and workable power-sharing concept. I have no doubt that it will be the party to form the government of this country for many more decades to come.

However, as with all things that come naturally and somewhat less difficult to us, there must have been occasions where we could honestly say we had let the people down in some ways. Thankfully, the majority of Malaysians are a grateful lot and they have continued to support and respect the BN.

Indeed, as the people's expectations grow, we in the BN must also constantly adapt to changes in order to meet the expectations of the people we pledge to serve.

In this aspect, I see the pressing need for all our BN leaders to truly 'touch base' with the people on the ground. It's not enough to go back to our constituencies once in a while to officiate at official functions or during festive occasions.

There must be constant communication with our people on the ground. We must ensure that the correct information are passed to them and that we receive clear feedbacks of their needs. We must accelerate this from Federal to State level, from District to Local level. This line of communication must always make its presence felt for the benefit of the people.

As a senior BN legislator, let me give this advice to our younger leaders. Always keep in touch with your base. Never show off your Yang Berhormat title and be humble with the people at all times. Always be ready to accept criticisms from the people, as you would their praises.

Initially, I had a very tough time in my first electoral contest in Sarikei in 1982. I only managed to scrap through with a very narrow majority of 81 votes. But through sheer hard work and keeping in constant touch with the electorate, my majorities in subsequent elections increased with the best results achieved in the 2004 general election where I romped home with a 11,599- vote majority.

Thus, let me advise our young and aspiring leaders that they must always be prepared to serve the people and must constantly bear in mind that "We come from the people and We must go back to the people". Never forget that at the end of the day, the people are our masters.

Tan Sri Speaker,

Before I take my leave, allow me to put on record my sincere appreciation and thanks to our national and state leaders whom I have the privilege to work with.

It has been a fulfilling and rewarding three decades of being a part of the government of this great nation and I humbly take my leave now with only fond and pleasant memories.

LAW HIENG DING is a 70-year-old veteran politician who served two terms as a Senator and is now in his final and sixth term as a Member of Parliament.