Time for Pakatan to own its problems, analysts say
(MMO) – Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) two terms of power in Penang and Selangor made it untenable to keep faulting previous administrations for its current woes, according to observers.
While the DAP in Penang continues to blame Barisan Nasional (BN) for problems such as illegal factories there, the analysts said the current government was far enough removed from its predecessor that this was no longer a valid excuse.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) political analyst Jeniri Amir said Pakatan Harapan should take ownership of issues now that it was almost 10 years since they were voted into power in Penang and Selangor.
“(Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng) has been in power for two terms; the onus is on him to correct all the wrongs, he needs to take responsibility and stop harping on what BN did wrong,” he told Malay Mail Online.
“The people will get fed up. I believe they are mature enough to make the right political assessment now, for both BN and PH, and see who is better,” he added.
Jeniri said that Lim should understand that he is no longer simply an Opposition lawmaker now, but was the head of a state government as Penang’s chief minister.
Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Prof Sivamurugan Pandian also said that PH should be more “responsible” after two terms governing two of Malaysia’s richest states.
The pact previously controlled as many as five states after Election 2008, but lost Perak shortly after. In Election 2013, it also lost control of Kedah while a later row with PAS also cost it Kelantan.
“The blame game is long over and they must admit that there are challenges in administering states,” Sivamurugan said.
