YESTERDAY (April 11), I said the chances that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government can last the full term of five years are positive, but it must not self-destruct by embarking on policies that are totally at variance with its core values and the principles of the original nation-building principles for a plural Malaysia, which had the support of the first four UMNO presidents.
Fighting corruption to elevate Malaysia to be one of the world’s top countries with public integrity and minimum corruption and the restoration of an independent judiciary are two key core principles that cannot be compromised by the unity government.
Recent attacks on the restoration of an independent judiciary and the rule of law are matters of concern to Malaysians who want to see priority given to the task of a Malaysian reset and the country return to the original nation-building principles of plural Malaysia as set out in the Constitution and the Rukun Negara: constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, separation of powers, rule of law, an independent judiciary, Islam as the official religion of the country and freedom of religion for all faiths, good governance, public integrity with minimum corruption, a clean and honest government, meritocracy, respect for human rights, an end to the various injustices and inequalities in the country, a world-class economic, educational, health and social system, and national unity, understanding and harmony from our multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-cultural diversity.
In the 15th General Election, UMNO’s loss to Perikatan Nasional (PN) among the Malay electorate is proof that it is a myth that the Malay voters are loyal supporters of Datuk Seri Najib Razak or also known as ‘Bossku’ despite the many 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) charges in court, as otherwise, there would be an UMNO revival instead of unprecedented defeats.
Recently, another political party has declared that Malays have “lost political and economic control of Malaysia”.
This is a baseless allegation, especially at a time when an ethnic Pakistani has become the first minister and leader of the Scotland Scottish Nationalist Party and an ethnic Indian has become the prime minister and leader of the United Kingdom British Conservative Party.
However, this baseless allegation must be rebutted and proved to be baseless, or it would benefit not the party that first made it but PN.
Moreover, the best rebuttals are the original nation-building principles for a plural Malaysia which have the support of the first four presidents of UMNO, Datuk Sir Onn Jaafar, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, and Tun Hussein Onn.
In Tunku’s own words, Malaysia aspired to be “a beacon of light to a difficult and distracted world” and not an international laughing-stock by being a divided, failed and kleptocratic state.
The Anwar unity government must enter the general election in the six states of Penang, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu in July/August to uphold the original nation-building principles in the first quarter of a century of Malaysia’s nationhood under the first three former prime ministers — Tunku, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein Onn — for a constitutional monarchy, a parliamentary democracy, an independent judiciary, the rule of law, good governance, public integrity and “unity in diversity” of a plural Malaysia as against a theocratic, divided, failed and kleptocratic state on Malaysia’s Centennial in 2057. — April 12, 2023
Veteran lawmaker and retired DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang is the incumbent MP for Iskandar Puteri.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main photo credit: Prime Minister’s Office
