Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 29): Malaysia’s greatest challenge now is to avoid becoming a “failed state” because of corruption and collapse of governance from violations of democracy, rule of law, free speech and egalitarianism, DAP’s Lim Kit Siang says.

The Gelang Patah MP said the question now was whether Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should run the country for another two years.

“Umno and Barisan Nasional in the next hustings under the leadership of Najib cannot be weaker and more vulnerable.

“But this will not be in the best interests of the nation, for Malaysia would have descended further in the next two years down the slope towards a failed and a rogue state,” he said at the Penang DAP dinner to celebrate DAP’s 50th anniversary and Lim’s 75th birthday at Hang Chiang School Hall last night.

He said Najib’s position has strengthened despite leading the country towards being ranked No. 3 in the world’s “worst corruption scandal in 2015”, falling four places in the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index last year, because of controversies linked to the debt-laden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and RM2.6 billion deposited into his accounts.

The “twin mega scandals” are also subject to investigations by the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and seven countries, including Singapore, Switzerland, France and Hong Kong.

“Najib seems to have become even stronger politically with crackdowns on democratic freedoms and human rights like the recent action against The Malaysian Insider although his image and credibility has never been so low for a Malaysian prime minister whether nationally or internationally.

“Those outside the corridors of power are also in a dilemma as to how get out of the political cul de sac to stop an unpopular prime minister from dragging the country in the direction of a failed and rogue state.”

He said for the past year, he had been advocating for a “save Malaysia” campaign as a solution that was also sanctioned by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“Even Dr Mahathir seemed to have come around to the view first, that the best way is for the country to have two political parties as this would ensure that one or the other would win a majority to form the government and second, everybody should act as patriotic citizens, irrespective of party affiliation or loyalties, to save the nation from heading towards perdition.

“Is the country ready for a realignment of progressive and patriotic political forces to save Malaysia and to keep faith with the vision of a united, inclusive, moderate, democratic and prosperous Malaysia?

“The coming weeks will seek to give an answer to this question.”

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