Assess Anwar's first 100 days objectively, PM's senior political secretary urges

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians need to assess what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Unity Government has achieved within its first 100 days objectively, says Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin said.

According to the the Prime Minister’s senior political secretary, Anwar has accomplished several important matters within the period, including the introduction of Malaysia Madani, presenting the Budget 2023 and strengthening foreign policy to attract investment.

"(The 100 day assessment) is a normal thing in politics in our country....it also helps a lot by giving us some ‘pressure’ to resolve things within 100 days, (solutions) must be quick.

"Anwar as Prime Minister also has to deal with various (political ideologies) that serve as the foundation of the Unity Government and the Unity Government secretariat was also established within this period,” he said as a guest on Saturday (March 4) night's Ruang Bicara programme on Bernama TV.

Shamsul Iskandar added that it proved that all parties in the government came together to ensure a stable administration under Anwar’s leadership.

The last time any administration had two-thirds majority in Parliament was during Tun Abdullah Badawi’s administration, and while Pakatan Harapan (PH) won 82 seats in the 15th general election (GE15), the Unity Government’s establishment resulted in a two-thirds majority, he said.

"There are those among the Opposition who claim that the administration can collapse. They can continue saying whatever they want.

"We (as the government) have an understanding that the parties in the Unity Government came together to deliver, to fulfil the aspirations and demands of the people. To me, that is very important and needs to be understood by political leaders and players,” Sahmsul Iskandar said.

Anwar was sworn in and began to lead the Unity Government on Nov 24, 2022, five days after the 15th General Election (GE15) and today marks the 100th day he is prime minister.

For the first time in the history of the country, the general election’s results ended in a hung Parliament when no coalition obtained a simple majority of 112 parliamentary seats to form the federal government.

In accordance with the advice of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah that coalitions consider establishing a unity government to end the post-GE15 political imbroglio, negotiations between political parties resulted in an agreement to support the formation of a Unity Government led by Pakatan. - Bernama