‘Being transparent and accountable are key pillars’

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan has been reminded to uphold the pillars of transparency and accountability, including living up to its promise of not working with PAS or Umno anymore, says Datuk Dr Rais Hussin.

Rais, a strategist with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, said when Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, deputy president of Pakatan component party PKR, met with 27 Umno MPs to purportedly get feedback on the Pakatan government’s performance, then “he is trudging into the territory of the Prime Minister himself”.

“The whole fiasco rankles of conceit, if not sheer deceit. The Economic Affairs Minister should deliver on jobs, improved income, and foreign direct investments. So many jobs are being lost to automation. Much of the Malaysian economy is based on menial labour, which is why we have six to seven million foreign workers, ” wrote Rais on the StarOnline.

Arguing that the Malaysian economy is in peril, Rais said it is unbecoming for Azmin to be in cahoots with Umno.

“Many questions are being asked about this meeting with Umno MPs. Azmin has to come clean, especially since he has not been attending his own party’s meetings.

“Either he explains himself to his own party, or to Malaysians at large – beyond the perfunctory crisp statement that ‘nothing of substance’ was discussed, ” he added.

Emphasising that transparency and accountability are two of the key pillars of the new Malaysian government, Rais said the recent Tanjung Piai by-election was an example of how the “tsunami” that brought Pakatan to power can reverse its momentum.

“The Malaysian people have spoken loud and clear what they feel through their votes, albeit within the confines of Tanjung Piai. Isn’t that an early warning signal for Pakatan? If this is not, I don’t know what would be, ” he said.