KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 16): DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang has denied saying Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership will collapse within one year.

He said there was a fake social media message in circulation, which said: “Lim Kit Siang ramal Anwar akan tumbang dalam tempoh setahun."

In a statement on Friday (Dec 16), Lim said he wants Anwar to be the PM for a full five years to stop the national decline in various sectors of life.

He said the fake message stemmed from toxic politics of lies, fear, hate, race and religion, which have divided and polarised plural Malaysia since the 15th general election campaign, and this must be dealt with sternly and strictly if Malaysia is not to end up as a basket case of disunity and polarisation.

Lim said the ministers and leaders in Anwar’s Unity Government must learn from the lessons of the 22-month Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, and the most important lesson is that there are political personalities and forces that are trying to truncate the life of the Unity Government.

“Except for a tainted few, the majority of the Pakatan Harapan ministers and leaders had never expected the Sheraton Move, and had expected the government to last the full term of five years, instead of being toppled in 22 months.

“All ministers of Anwar's Unity Government must be aware of this plot, and unlike their predecessors in the PH Cabinet, who thought they had five years to implement their mandate, [should] be conscious of the possibility that they may be toppled, and have the sense of urgency to carry out institutional reforms in the shortest time possible,” Lim said.