Kit Siang: 2023 will be acid test for Anwar’s government

(Malay Mail) – Next year will determine if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s government will be able to make Malaysia great again, according to DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang.

He said the new administration must demonstrate good faith by making the country great again and by achieving national unity.

In his New Year’s Eve message, however, Lim said Malaysians should not expect a miracle from the government to undo the excesses and abuses of power in the nation in the past six decades with a blink of the eye.

He proposed that the government focus on several main issues in its first year in office, namely, instilling good governance, judicial independence, people’s welfare, and national unity, as well as fighting corruption,

Under good governance, he said the report and recommendations about institutional reforms by the Eminent Persons Council in 2018 should be made public, and the establishment of an Ombudsman will also be helpful in this direction.

“Ministers and deputy ministers must place the national interests above their self-interests and are prepared to make sacrifices for the country to form a good, clean, honest and efficient government,” he said.

He proposed that a new Malaysian National Anti-Corruption Plan be launched to place Malaysia among the top 30 countries in the world in public integrity.

On judicial independence, Lim said there should be an amendment to the judicial appointments committee act to remove any executive influence on judicial appointments.

He hoped that under the new unity government, Malaysia will achieve its goal of becoming a developed economy with jobs and high wages for Malaysians, minimum wage for workers, and world class education and health system, together with a policy to discourage talents emigration.

He also hoped that the government will push for national unity so that Malaysia becomes a world example of a plural nation.

He then called on all Malaysians to unite and stop the toxic politics of lies, fear, hate, race and religion from destroying the country.