Noting reforms can’t happen overnight, Kit Siang urges Anwar to start making good on promises before GE16

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 — DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang today urged the unity government led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to start delivering on the promised reforms before the next general election due by 2027 comes.

The former lawmaker said the federal government has to start making good on its pledges now that Malaysia has achieved relative political stability so that voters can assess its performance on its merits and not give its detractors any chance to gain momentum.

“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.

“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 so that Malaysian educational institutions produce excellence instead of media illiterates, human rights, freedom of speech and religion, there is a possibility that it might be thrown out by the voters,” he said in a statement.

Lim said he had learnt a few lessons from the 22-month Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, one of which is that meaningful reforms “cannot come overnight”.

“But with the restoration of political stability, the time has come for Anwar’s unity government to deliver its reforms and changes.

“There is going to be mounting criticism that Anwar’s unity government has failed to deliver its promised reforms,” he said.

Lim noted that Malaysia’s political landscape and even Parliament was growing more polarised along racial and religious lines and cited the recent controversy surrounding Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad from PAS who made unproven allegations linking him as kin to former Singapore founder Lee Kuan Yew and former Malayan Communist Party leader Chin Peng, both who are now deceased.

As such, Lim urged Malaysians to find ways to strengthen national unity and political stability so the country can be a role model for inter-ethnic, inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-civilisational dialogue, understanding, tolerance and harmony.

At the same time, he urged critics of the Anwar government to give it “three or four years” judging on whether or not it has lived up to or failed to deliver on its reform promises at the 16th general election.