Endorsement of Mahathir's call to Harapan parties to stop infighting

MP SPEAKS | I endorse the call by the Prime Minister and Pakatan Harapan Chairman, Dr Mahathir Mohamad to Pakatan Harapan parties to stop infighting or risk Pakatan Harapan losing power in the 15th General Election.

It is indeed a miracle that the four different political parties in Pakatan Harapan had achieved the feat of toppling the Barisan Nasional government, and had survived intact as a coalition in the past 14 months.

We need to look back to 2016, when the Barisan Nasional had won the Sarawak state general election in May and the two by-elections in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar in June with landslide victories – and remember the gloom and doom in the political arena and how impossible the odds were to topple Najib Razak as Prime Minister and the seemingly invincible Barisan Nasional coalition to save Malaysia from hurtling towards the trajectory of a failed, rogue and kleptocratic state.

Despite such odds, Pakatan Harapan succeeded – making it the greater responsibility and challenge of all the Pakatan Harapan leaders to fulfil the promise of a New Malaysia they pledged to build in the reset of nation-building policies to create a Malaysia of unity, excellence, freedom, justice and integrity – a top world-class nation respected by the international community

The new proponents of klepto-theocracy, who want Pakatan Harapan and New Malaysia to fail, had expected the PH coalition to disintegrate and implode in a matter of months – and when this did not happen, they are hoping now for a half-term Pakatan Harapan government instead.

Although 14 months in power as the Federal Government, Pakatan Harapan is still not a natural government coalition.

If New Malaysia is to succeed, Pakatan Harapan must become a natural government coalition winning not only the 15th General Election, but the subsequent general elections to complete the mission of New Malaysia becoming a top world-class nation respected by the international community.

Yesterday, I said that the transformation of Malaysia from a global kleptocracy to a leading nation of integrity in the world is one of Pakatan Harapan’s greatest challenges, and the agents of klepto-theocracy immediately distorted it to say that I claimed that Malaysia has become a leading nation of integrity in the world.

No, we are not there yet. It is a work-in-progress. But at least, we are set on the path towards that objective as a leading nation of integrity, as distinct from the previous national trajectory towards a failed, rogue and kleptocratic state.

Take note of the latest survey of the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research which indicated that overall sentiments on the direction of the country has improved over the months, jumping four percentage points as compared to the previous quarter.

Those who felt that the country was headed in the right direction increased from a low of 34 percent (March 2019) to 40 percent in June 2019, while conversely, those who felt the country was headed in the wrong direction also fell to 38 percent from 46 percent in March 2019.

Malay sentiments on the direction of the country rose seven points to 31 percent from a low of 24 percent in March 2019.

Chinese sentiments towards the country’s direction also rose 10 points to 53 percent between March and June 2019.

While Malay and Chinese sentiments showed an improvement, Indian sentiments have taken a dip. The survey showed that Indian sentiments on the direction of the country fell to 45 percent from 63 percent in March 2019.

I believe that the Pakatan Harapan coalition government can be the natural government coalition if Pakatan Harapan leaders can convince Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or socio-economic status, that the trajectory towards a New Malaysia is on track, and that the five pillar-promises towards the building of a New Malaysia, as contained in the Pakatan Harapan election manifesto in the 14th General Election, remain our lodestar and guiding principle.

The five pillar-promises of a New Malaysia are:

· Reduce the people’s burden.

· Institutional and political reforms.

· Spur sustainable and equitable economic growth.

· Return Sabah and Sarawak to the status accorded in Malaysia Agreement 1963.

· Create a Malaysia that is inclusive, moderate and respected globally.

All Pakatan Harapan should heed what Mahathir said yesterday:

“The mandate to rule that has been entrusted to us by the people is to repair what has been broken and right what has been wronged in the country.

“We need to ask ourselves, if we will continue to be given the people’s mandate if we continue to fight among ourselves. Without realising, because of our infighting, we end up losing power.”

All Pakatan Harapan leaders must be conscious of the question Mahathir posed to all Pakatan Harapan parties - if we were to lose power, we will be measured by how much we have achieved in fulfilling the responsibilities and trust given to us!

LIM KIT SIANG is Iskandar Puteri MP.

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