Veteran politician and former lawmaker Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang has warned the unity government that it is high time it start making good on its reform pledges, especially, now that Malaysia has achieved relative political stability; this is so that voters can assess its performance on its merits and not give its critics any chance to gain momentum.
He admitted that he himself is “not happy” with various things that have happened but with the restoration of political stability, PM Anwar has three to four years to fulfil his reform promises.
The former DAP supremo further cautioned that should Anwar fail to deliver his reform promises, whether the doctrine of separation of power, the rule of law, an independent judiciary, the fight against corruption, good governance, educational reforms, human rights, freedom of speech and religion, then there is a possibility that the unity government might get thrown out by voters!
Lim pointed out that he had learnt a few lessons from the 22-month Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under Dr Mahathir, one of which was that meaningful reforms cannot come overnight; however, with the restoration of political stability, the time has come for Anwar’s unity government to start delivering its reforms and changes.
Furthermore, he warned that there is going to be mounting criticism of Anwar’s unity government if it fails to deliver its promised reforms soon; as such, he urged PM Anwar to start delivering on the promised reforms before the next general election which is due in 2027.
Meanwhile, the Star had quoted PM Anwar as saying during his opening speech at the party’s congress on Nov 25 that it is not possible to solve all problems within a year and that his unity government had to focus on priorities.
Moreover, he cautioned that it was important to learn lessons from the mistakes that happened during the previous Pakatan Harapan government’s tenure; he added that if the government is hasty in implementing its reforms agenda, the people will reject them, just like what happened to the ill-fated ICERD and Rome Statute back then.
PM Anwar further highlighted that although the government might face pressure from certain quarters, it must choose the middle path that will benefit everyone; he cited the French Revolution where the elites had thought of reforms that would only benefit them instead of putting an end to poverty, causing the peasants to suffer.
The current PM may be a shrewd politician with bags of experience as a former deputy prime minister and there may be some truth in his observation, but the socio-political landscape has changed drastically and together with it the people’s expectations.
As such, he may need to keep a close eye on the “ticking clock” and make sure that his promised reforms are all fulfilled as voters may already have started their own “countdown”; moreover, we are now living in the “fast and furious” age of TikTok and Instagram - not the French Revolution!
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