KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — Corruption, poor economic policies and “continuous attacks” against constitutional rights and democratic practices have marred celebrations of the 53rd anniversary of Malaysia’s founding, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said today.
The Opposition lawmaker claimed recent events have disrupted the country’s progress and urged Malaysians to stand firm against such adversity.
“Only when we are united together defending our freedoms, our rights, our dignity and economic security, can we remain and progress as one country, one people,” the Bagan MP said in a statement on the eve of Malaysia Day.
He cited the Election Commission’s redelineation exercise announced today affecting 12 parliamentary seats and 34 state seats involving areas currently held by the Opposition as a mockery of the democratic principle of “one man, one vote”, claiming a lopsided distribution of voters.
He also said the constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and peaceful assembly were violated with a recent threat against the Bersih 5 rally set to take place on November 19.
Though he did not name anyone, it is believed he may be alluding to former soldier Mohd Ali Baharom’s threat against Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah.
“I will ambush her in the near future. Even if I have to spend 10 years’ in prison, I don’t mind.
“Wait and see. She won’t feel peace and even with 10 or 20 bodyguards, we will whip them.
“Don’t challenge us or we will make it so that her legs point upwards and her head points downward to the ground,” the controversial leader popularly known by his moniker Ali Tinju, told news portal Free Malaysia Today after the electoral reform watchdog announced the fifth instalment of its street demonstration yesterday.
Lim claimed income security is now also a “dream” due to institutional corruption and topsy-turvy economic and financial policies, citing the proposal by Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar last week for housing developers to lend money to home buyers at interest rates between 12 and 18 per cent, compared to the 4.5 to 6 per cent rates charged by banks.
Economists and financial analysts have cautioned that such an initiative could lead to a subprime crisis and other financial problems for the country if passed.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said last week that the Cabinet was not informed of Noh’s proposal and the latter had been directed to brief his colleagues yesterday.
After yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Noh said he has been ordered to fine-tune the loan scheme.
