A VETERAN DAP lawmaker has applauded Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir’s move to issue an apology following an error in a column in which she had wrongly attributed a ‘shoot to kill’ threat made to Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s to the then-Home Minister Tan Sri Ghazali Shafie.
The controversial statement was not made by the then-Home Minister but was actually issued by Marina’s father, then-deputy prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
According to Lim Kit Siang, Marina’s apology indicated that it was an honest mistake, and that a wrong perception, if not corrected, could last years or even decades.
“I specially appreciate the latter aspect as I am probably the most demonised person in Malaysian politics,” the Iskandar Puteri MP remarked in a statement.
“I am painted as anti-Malay and anti-Islam when I have no animosity towards any race or religion in the country.
“During the 22-month Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal rule Dr Mahathir was presented as my stooge to the Malaysia as I was Mahathir’s stooge to the Chinese and non-Malays which is an impossibility for any one person to accomplish.”
Lim went on to note that everyone should learn from their mistakes and struggles.
“First we must correct misperceptions especially those that were maliciously planted,” he said.
“The 22-month PH government made a promising start for major institutional changes which would come to bear fruit had the PH government had five years to fulfil its mandate and not toppled following the Sheraton Move coup.
“Secondly, we must understand that the struggle to make Malaysia a world-class nation is neither easy nor simple. It is a long, arduous struggle inculcating the ‘Malaysian first’ idea and mentality which requires commitment, grit, perseverance and stamina lasting years and decades, and covering several general elections.”
Malaysia, a failed state?
Lim further expressed his concerns that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will run for re-election as prime minister candidate for UMNO in the 15th general election (GE15).
“If a convicted criminal charged with corruption can become the 10th or 11th prime minister of Malaysia, then China and Indonesia [are bound] to overtake the country in terms of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by 2025 or latest before 2030,” he said.
Lim added that if Malaysia is performing worse than China, Indonesia and India in terms of various fields of human endeavour, the country is in the trajectory of a failed and kleptocratic state.
“This is why the 15th general election (GE15) – and its rehearsal in the upcoming Johor state polls – is so important in deciding the future and fate of Malaysia in the coming decades,” he remarked.
“Will we be able to reverse the national decline in the past half-a-century or are we condemned to be a kleptocratic and failed state like Venezuela, Somalia, Syria and South Sudan?” – Feb 4, 2022
