Today, the Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim will be presenting his 2023 Budget, which will be another mini-test of the survivability, and stability of the Anwar unity government.
But a major test will be in the second 100 days of the Anwar Unity Government when the six states, Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu dissolve their respective State Assemblies at the end of June for general elections to be held.
Will there be another triumph of the “green wave” phenomenon, which is supposed to be a special characteristic of the 15th parliamentary General Election, in these these six states?
I am quite sceptical about it.
For 93 days, Malaysians had been living on the hopes of a political stability in Malaysia to provide the breathing space for a reset, and a return to the original nation-building principles for a plural Malaysia to reunite multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-cultural Malaysia to become a first-rate world-class nation.
Can these hopes become a reality and the Anwar Unity Government has the political stability to last five years until the 16th General Election in 2027?
The Anwar Unity Government has passed a major test in securing the confidence-vote motion in Parliament last December, but the Parliamentary Opposition — Perikatan Nasional — had failed the test in the Royal Address Motion, especially in the test set by the Yang di Pertuan Agong to ensure political stability for the next five years to allow the country to unite a very polarised plural nation, and to reset, and return to the original nation-building principles for Malaysia to become a first-rate world-class nation.
After a seven-day debate on the Royal Address Motion, nobody can say that the Parliamentary Opposition — Perikatan Nasional — supports the objective to provide political stability for the next five years to achieve two objectives: to unite a very polarised muti-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-cultural Malaysia, and for Malaysia to fulfil Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman’s aspiration to be “a beacon on light in a difficult, and a distracted world” by first becoming a first-rate world-class nation.
In fact, up to now, I am not sure whether the PAS President, Hadi Awang, supports the five nation-building principles in the Rukun Negara!
What is the stand of the PAS President, Hadi Awang on Rukun Negara?
There is in circulation in the social media a statement that I am still in control of DAP.
This is the reason why last April I declined the proposal of the new DAP Secretary-General, Anthony Loke to become DAP mentor.
When I announced my political retirement at the DAP congress on March 20, 2022 it was a retirement from party elections, and leadership, parliamentary, and state assembly elections.
But as I said in my birthday celebrations in Penang on Sunday, I have retired from front-line politics but I have not retired from politics which is only possible if you leave this world.
But I am not in control of DAP. In fact, most of the time, I do not know what is happening in the DAP.
I have full trust in Anthony Loke as the new DAP Secretary-General in leading the DAP in a new political situation. The new leadershjp may make mistakes but it comes from the responsibility, and acceptable so long as they are honest mistakes.
(Media Statement by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Friday, 24th February 2023)