RETIRED DAP supremo Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang has appealed to detractors of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to give the unity government “three or four years” to gauge whether it is able to deliver its reform promises in the 16th General Election (GE16) in 2026 or 2027.
Acknowledging that there will be mounting criticisms that Anwar’s unity government has failed to deliver its promised reforms, Kit Siang said one of the lessons he has learnt from the 22-month Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was that reforms cannot come overnight.
“I am myself not happy with various things that have happened but with the restoration of political stability, Anwar has three to four years to fulfil his reform promises,” suggested Malaysia’s longest-serving Opposition leader of 29 years on three separate occasions at a dialogue in Malaysia Hall, London.
“If Anwar failed to deliver his reform promise – whether the doctrine of separation of power, the rule of law, an independent judiciary, the fight against corruption, good governance, educational reforms, human rights or freedom of speech and religion – there is a possibility that it might be thrown out by the voters.”
Added the 82-years-old former Iskandar Puteri MP: “We are at a critical juncture of the nation’s history. Can we rise up again to be a great world-class nation or are we condemned to be divided, failed and kleptocratic state? This will be decided in the next three to four years.”
On the bright side, Kit Siang said the six state elections on Aug 12 has probably marked “the high-water mark of the green wave phenomenon in last November’s GE15”.
“After the six state polls where the Perikatan Nasional (PN) of Bersatu and PAS failed to capture Selangor or Negri Sembilan, the stocks of Bersatu and PAS have been on the decline,” observed the veteran politician.
“The Kemaman parliamentary by-election was supposed to gauge the new high-water mark of the PN green wave movement but now it will register to what level it has declined as Bersatu and PAS are in serious trouble.
Kit Siang concluded: “When you are fighting for your political life, political perspectives and priorities are different. But with the restoration of political stability, the time has come for Anwar’s unity government to deliver its reforms and changes.” – Nov 28, 2023
