AS his political career comes to an end – probably with the exception of advisory role – with today’s 15th General Election (GE15), retired DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang is relishing a last push for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition to emerge victorious in the national poll.
Even as the Iskandar Puteri parliamentary constituency goes down into history as his final fortress, the veteran lawmaker whose political career spans 57 years is seemingly very gung-ho to ensure that this time around PH will complete a full five-year term (unlike for only 22 months previously) – if not more – as the government of the day.
To realise such tall order so to speak, he pens the following 10 questions for his fellow citizens to answer:
1. Whether the voting turnout today (Nov 19) can exceed 80%.
2. Whether Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister (PM).
3. Whether PH on its own can form the Federal Government in Putrajaya beating the two other coalitions – UMNO/Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) which is made up of Bersatu and PAS.
4. Whether Malaysia can be saved and is worth saving.
5. Whether Malaysia will stop its descent from a first-rate world-class nation in the last six decades into a second-rate mediocre country today and worse still, continued descent into a third-rate failed, divided, rogue and kleptocratic nation by Malaysia’s Centennial in four decades.
Or whether Malaysia can reverse the fate and trajectory of a failed, divided, rogue and kleptocratic state in the next four decade and to again become a first-rate world-class plural nation.
6. Whether Malaysia can return to the original nation-building principles to be found in the Constitution and Rukun Negara (National Principles).
They include constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, separation of powers, rule of law, good governance, public integrity, meritocracy, respect for human rights and national unity from its multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural diversity where there are no first-class and second-class citizens whether based on race, religion or region.
7. Whether UMNO can be saved and reject the Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s legacy of kleptocracy and kakistocracy, and return to its original ideals and principles as espoused by the party’s first four presidents, Datuk Onn Jaafar, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and Tun Hussein Onn, all of whom condemned corruption, abuse of public power and breach of trust of public officials.
8. Whether Malaysia can be one of the top 30 countries of the world in terms of having a clean and honest government with minimal corruption in public life.
9. Whether Malaysia can continue to be way ahead of other countries like China, Indonesia, India and other Middle Eastern countries in the annual Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
This is especially so if the country is able to prevent itself from being overtaken by China before 2030 and by Indonesia, India and the Middle East countries by before 2040.
10. Whether Malaysia can succeed in creating a Bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian race) not by eliminating ethnic or religious identities whether Malay, Chinese, Indian, Dayak, Kadazan or Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or Christians, but by celebrating its diverse ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural identities under one large rubric of a Malaysian identity – the great diversity is an asset and strength rather than a liability of Malaysia. – Nov 18, 2022
