KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Permatang Pauh constituents must lead the path for Malaysia’s electoral change in the next general election by voting against Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) on May 7, DAP’s Lim Kit Siang has said.
Lim said the onus was now on the voters of Permatang Pauh to do what Malaysia could not achieve in the 2013 general election two years ago — to form a new federal government with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.
“Two years ago, the hopes and dreams of the majority of 11 million Malaysian voters who voted in the 13th General Elections for a new federal government and a new Prime Minister in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim were frustrated by an undemocratic electoral system resulting in the appointment for the first time in the nation’s history of a ‘minority’ prime minister,” he said according to a copy of his speech in Permatang Pauh last night.
The Gelang Patah MP stressed that Malaysia would never be a “normal democratic country” unless a peaceful change in Putrajaya through elections was welcomed and not regarded as a “national catastrophe”.
“... and there can be no meaningful change of political, socio-economic, educational and whole range of nation-building policies unless there is such a political change,” he added.
According to Lim, key issues Permatang Pauh folk need to keep in mind when they vote this Thursday are: To “save Malaysia” from the failure of BN’s policies and projects such as the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, the on-going call for Anwar to be released from jail, rejection of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as well as to censure the latest arrests made by police after the May Day rally last Friday in KL.
The Permatang Pauh seat fell vacant after Anwar was jailed for his second sodomy charge on February 10.
PKR’s Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is defending the PKR stronghold seat in a four-cornered fight with BN’s Suhaimi Sabudin, PRM’s Azman Shah Othman and independent candidate Salleh Isahak in the May 7 by-election.
