PETALING JAYA: As tempting as the institutional reforms promised by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin may be, DAP rejects them because the party will not support Muhyiddin to continue helming the country, said Lim Guan Eng.
The DAP secretary-general also said DAP will maintain its support for Pakatan Harapan’s choice of prime minister candidate in PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Bagan MP also pointed out that the timing of the offers of “long-sought reforms” by Muhyiddin in exchange for support for him to stay on as the prime minister posed questions on his sincerity.
“It is also about the timing surrounding the offer made by a prime minister who has lost his political legitimacy and parliamentary majority to resort to any means possible to remain in power,” said Lim.
In a statement Saturday (Aug 14), he also defended DAP leaders who had initially asked the Opposition parties to seriously consider the offers for reforms after the announcement by Muhyiddin on Friday (Aug 13), which, among others, included limiting the prime minister's term, more representation of the Opposition in decision-making in Parliamentary select committees and anti-hopping laws for politicians.
He said that those DAP leaders “cannot be faulted for relying on the common refrain of 'the end justifies the means', regardless of who initiates them”.
DAP MPs Tony Pua and Ong Kian Ming had stated that the Opposition should look at the reforms before rejecting them as they can change the future of politics in the country.
“Institutional reform is not political expediency, there must be genuine commitment and even sacrifice, then only can we bring forth meaningful progress.
“Based on the Prime Minister’s record of political treachery and the composition of his conservative Cabinet that is consistently opposed to reforms of any kind, there is genuine scepticism whether he will deliver his promised reforms when it is clearly a gambit for power or stratagem for survival.
“Even though many expect Muhyiddin has no choice but to resign, giving rise to a possibility that Parliament will be dissolved, DAP opposes general elections due to the record number of Covid-19 infections and a death toll swiftly approaching 12,000.
“DAP reiterates our commitment towards saving lives and livelihoods by focusing on battling the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for a smooth and swift National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to achieve herd immunity by inoculation and not infection, and direct financial aid to pull the economy out of the recession,” said Lim.
He said DAP sticks to Pakatan's mandate of who the next PM should be.
Prior to the announcement on Friday, the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council issued a statement asking for full support for Anwar as the next prime minister.
“DAP is clear on our choice of who should be the next prime minister in accordance with Pakatan’s mandate.
“No one person is entitled to be prime minister but qualification must be based on potential capability and capacity to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, economic recession and commitment to institutional reforms to normalise Malaysia as an emerging developed nation.
"In other words, the national obsession should not be on who is prime minister but what the Covid-19 Reset Plan is," Lim said.
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