KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 ― DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the Opposition's decision to oppose the prime minister's bid in Parliament to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak to their 1963 position as equal partners that formed Malaysia was a “strategic error.”
Lim said in a statement that Opposition parties Umno and PAS had no right to talk about Sabah and Sarawak rights if they refused to support the proposed amendments to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution, which had in 1976 downgraded Sabah and Sarawak to be on par with the 11 peninsular states.
“This was repeatedly stated by both Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal and DAP during the campaign,” Lim said.
The Opposition's attempt to play the racial card by pitting Malays against non-Malays and Muslims against non-Muslims did not resonate with voters, the Bagan MP added, highlighting that DAP had won for the first time in all Sandakan's polling districts, including Muslim-majority Pulau Berhala and Kampung Sim Sim.
Lim also claimed that messages spread through the Opposition-controlled media were not effective in the long term.
“Pakatan Harapan (PH) have four years (left in its electoral term) to debunk and expose the lies and falsehoods of the Opposition,” the DAP leader said, referring to the PH government that came to power last year.
Lim, who is also finance minister, said that Opposition lawmakers accused of corruption, and leaders who have mismanaged their states until they have to ask for the federal government's financial aid in paying their civil servants' salaries, do not inspire confidence among voters.
He also questioned the Opposition's ability to field a capable leader.
“Who is the Opposition alternative to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal or Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad? Most of the Opposition leaders are either discredited for non-performance or enmeshed in corruption scandals,” he added.
