“Suggestion of Najib making a second review to set aside his conviction an April Fool’s joke?”
By Lim Kit Siang, Focus Malaysia
IS THE suggestion that former prime minister (PM) Datuk Seri Najib Razak can make a second review application to set aside his conviction and sentencing to 12 year’s imprisonment in the SRC International Sdn Bhd corruption case an April Fool’s joke when the country needs finality and closure in the case to achieve a sorely needed political stability?
Yesterday (March 31), the country passed another crucial test after the first 100 days of the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim unity government to provide the necessary conditions for the sorely needed political stability in Malaysia.
I am on record to say that I am more confident than ever that the Anwar unity government will last five years although this cannot be taken for granted as a second Sheraton Move political conspiracy lies in every nook and corner.
The long parliamentary session after the opening of the 15th Parliament by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA) will end next week – next Tuesday (April 4) – for the Dewan Rakyat and next Thursday (April 6) for the Dewan Negara.
It was most unfortunate that not all MPs had responded to the YDPA’s call to work for the achievement of political stability as some MPs had done the very opposite to destabilise the political situation by further polarising race and religious relations in Malaysia.
This has eventually denied His Majesty’s wish that Anwar would be the last PM the Malaysian King would swear into office before he completes his five-year tenure next January. So far, these MPs have failed in their objective.
One way to establish political stability is to ensure that a change of government can only take place after a vote of confidence in a PM is defeated in the Dewan Rakyat – a step which would have spared the country the advent of backdoor PM who could illegally and unconstitutionally suspended Parliament under one pretext or another.
Another way to establish political stability is to amend the oath of office that should be taken by the PM, ministers and MPs to include upholding of the nation-building principles as set out in the Rukun Negara.
It is not enough to spell out the five nation-building principles to the nation’s schoolchildren as it is equally important to ensure that all the nation’s leaders – the PM, ministers and MPs – are equally committed to uphold the five Rukun Negara nation-building principles.
Malaysia must not be “Truly Asia” only to tourists but must be “Truly Asia” to all Malaysians.
Malaysia has a unique role to play in global relations – to be an example of inter-racial, inter-religious and inter-civilisational understanding, harmony and peace to the world where there is “unity in diversity” of the many races, language, religions and cultures to be found in Malaysia.
It is the patriotic duty of all Malaysians to work for a national reset and return to the original nation-building principles to achieve the twin objectives of achieving national unity in a plural Malaysia and to halt the trajectory of Malaysia towards a divided, failed and kleptocratic state so as to rise again to become a first-rate world-class nation.
Retired DAP supremo and former Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang, 81, has a colourful political career spanning 57 years.
