A year after GE13, DAP warns of disillusionment with Najib, and break-up of Pakatan

A year after GE13, DAP warns of disillusionment with Najib, and break-up of Pakatan

BY EILEEN NG
May 04, 2014

Lim Kit Siang (right), seen here with (from left) PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Lim today spoke of not only Barisan Nasional's failed policies, but also of a possible break-up of Pakatan Rakyat over the hudud row. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, May 4, 2014.

On the eve of the first anniversary of the 13th general election, Malaysians are disillusioned with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over his failed policies, while Pakatan Rakyat faced the prospect of breaking up over the hudud issue, DAP’s Lim Kit Siang said.

The veteran DAP leader said the past one year had brought great disillusionment to those who hoped for political change in Malaysia where the rule of law, justice, good governance and democracy are upheld.

"In broadband speed, education, economic justice, the rule of law, respect for human rights and good governance, Malaysia is trailing behind more and more countries, which have hastened in the past one year.

"Even more worrying, nation-building or the creation of a united Malaysian nation out of the diverse races, religions and regions has never suffered such a serious blow as in the past year, despite the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's 1Malaysia policy and international campaign for a Global Movement of Moderates," the DAP parliamentary leader said in a statement today.

On its Pakatan partner PAS's move to implement hudud in Kelantan, Lim warned that the possibility of the opposition pact splintering cannot be taken lightly, saying the issue had snowballed into a "political tornado" in recent weeks.

Those who do not support hudud law, said Lim, are not anti-Islam, and base their opposition on the Malaysian Constitution's provision for a secular democratic nation.

He said the electorate who voted for Pakatan in GE13 did so for a change of government, political and nation-building policies, and not for hudud.

Those who do not support hudud law, said Lim, are not anti-Islam, and base their opposition on the Malaysian Constitution's provision for a secular democratic nation.

"Pakatan Rakyat would not have continued to deny the Barisan Nasional two-thirds parliamentary majority if hudud was an agenda for Pakatan in the GE13.

"There can be no doubt that all the three Pakatan parties of DAP, PKR and PAS would have suffered serious electoral losses if hudud had been an issue in GE13," he added.

Citing the Umno bastion of Johor as an example, Lim said Pakatan would not have made significant inroads in the southern state, with DAP winning four parliamentary and 13 state seats, PAS four state seats and PKR one parliamentary and one state seat, if the Shariah criminal law had been part of the agenda.

The Gelang Patah MP said Malaysians wanted to see Pakatan to improve and take over Putrajaya come the next general election, but warned that if hudud continued to be a major issue, Pakatan might go the way of the previous Barisan Alternatif, the loose coalition formed by the opposition in previous general elections.

"Then all the three component parties of DAP, PKR and PAS will be the losers. The only winners will be Umno and BN parties. This will be an unmitigated disaster for all Malaysians," he added.