At the launching of the Jelutong Pakatan Harapan election machinery two days ago, where our candidate is R.S. N. Rayer, I challenged Penang, as the first DAP front-line state for democracy, justice and unity going back to 1986, to secure the highest voter turn-out in the country in the 15th General Election.
Today, at the launching of the Bukit Kawan election machinery, where the Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow is the candidate, I am issuing a second challenge to the voters of Penang – to have the highest turnout in the 15th General Election to make Anwar Ibrahim the tenth Prime Minister of Malaysia.
The Malaysian electoral system in the 15th General Election is taking on some of the characteristics of the United States electoral system.
The voters in the American electoral system elects the US President, and in the 15th General Election in Malaysia, the Malaysian voters will also decide who is going to be the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia.
What are the other candidates for the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia?
Do we want the UMNO President Zahid Hamidi who openly stated that the 15th General Election will decide whether UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders will be charged in court for corruption and sent to jail? Up to now, Zahid Hamidi has not retracted his speech at the MIC Assembly on the same day that Parliament was dissolved.
I have this morning asked whether Ismail Sabri believes he is going to be the Prime Minister if UMNO and Barisan Nasional wins the 15GE when the majority of his UMNO Ministers have been culled and dropped as candidates for the 15GE, and there has been no answer from Ismail Sabri.
Do we want Muhyiddin Yassin, the mastermind of Sheraton Move political conspiracy which toppled a legitimate, democratic and constitutional Pakatan Harapan government elected in the 14th General Election and brought in two “backdoor” governments?
Or do we want the PAS President, Hadi Awang, who has shown no scruples about telling lies, untruths and fake news, like who instigated the ICERD fiasco in 2018 or does not bat an eye to poison inter-racial and inter-religious relations, to be the Prime Minister of Malaysia?
There is no real challenge or rebuttal when I say that Anwar Ibrahim is the most suitable and qualified candidate to be the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia, to start work which will take several general elections and decades to make Malaysia one of the best countries in the world instead of becoming a third-rate kleptocratic, kakistocratic and failed state like Sri Lanka or Zimbabwe.
We have failed to become one of the best countries in the world and become a second-rate mediocre country. Of the candidates for the 10th Prime Minister, only Anwar have the vision and the stamina to start the process to save Malaysia from becoming a third-rate failed state by the time of Malaysia’s Centennail.
Except for the 22 months of the Pakatan Harapan government, Penang had not been receiving fair and proper treatment in terms of financial allocation and infrastructure projects from the Federal Government.
With Anwar as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia, and a Pakatan Harapan Federal government in Putrajaya, Penang can expect proper treatment in terms of financial allocation and infrastructure projects.
(Speech by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang at the launching of the Pakatan Harapan Batu Kawan election machinery in Taman Chai Leng, Penang on Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 1 pm)