Mendiang Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu (kiri) bersama Syed Hussein Al-Attas (berjambang) ketika meraikan kemenangan Parti Gerakan pada pilihanraya umum 1969.
Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu meninggal dunia di Pulau Pinang semalam.
Mendiang Tun Dr Lim merupakan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang dari tahun 1969-1990. Pernah menjadi Presiden MCA dari Mac 1958-Julai 1959 dan Presiden Gerakan 1969-1980 setelah mengambil alih dari Syed Hussein Al-Attas. Berikut ialah kata-kata hikmat mendiang Tun Dr Lim dalam satu ucaptama di USM pada Julai 1995 untuk tatapan generasi hari ini.
"What we must understand is that the Malaysian nation was not formed just by the words and articles in the written Constitution. The Malaysian nation evolved from the acceptance of our people to live, work and die together as Malaysians within the framework of the Constitution. This decision of popular acceptance was established through the procedures of parliamentary democracy."
Di dalam ucapan tersebut, Tun Dr Lim turut berkata: "In the context of the existence and life of the Malaysian Nation, the Federal Constitution is the sacred heritage of the Malaysian people irrespective of their individual ethnic heritages or cultural and religious backgrounds. It must be the fundamental duty of each and every citizen to honour, respect and uphold the Malaysian Constitution.
This spirit of placing the Rule of Law under a duly elected Parliament and the State Assemblies must always underlie all our actions as Malaysians. This is just what patriotism is all about.This spirit must be carefully cultivated and sustained by all the people in Malaysia irrespective of their own ethnic origins, cultural heritages and religious beliefs. The Rukunegara expresses the fundamental commitment for every Malaysian to uphold national unity in order to ensure progress into the future.
By accepting the spirit of coexistence of the various ethnic communities that have been bonded together by the Constitution, the tenets of the Rukunegara ushered in the coevolutionary forces that have built Malaysia into what it is today.
Together, the Malaysian family shall march in unison over a broad front to realize Wawasan 2020. It shall be the common vision of all Malaysians that by then, if not before, Malaysia can take its place amongst the developed nations in the world. Thus the national leadership under Y.A.B. Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has lighted the torch that we shall carry into the years ahead.
REST IN PEACE, TUN.
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