KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang believes there will be a future Malaysian Prime Minister who is not Malay but not during his lifetime.
Current Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is the fourth and seventh prime minister, those before him were Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak, Tun Hussein Onn, Tun Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
In an interview with the New Straits Times the 78-year-old former party leader has been involved in politics for more than 50 years all of it felt the time for a non-Malay prime minister will only come about once Malaysians disregard race and consider themselves Malaysians.
“It will come about when Malaysians don’t think of themselves as Malays, Chinese and Indians. But I don’t see it happening in my lifetime,” said Lim.
“And my lifetime won’t be very long anyway but to be realistic, I don’t see it like (Barack) Obama becoming the United States president.
“That is the ideal situation, after all the Federal Constitution says anybody can become prime minister. But to expect this to be realised overnight, I don’t think that is realistic,” Lim told NST.
Lim also commented on the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18 and asking all MP’s to declare their assets, a move that has been met with heavy resistance from the opposition.
Lim said fear of rebellion from youth prevented the previous government from amending the Constitution for 60 years but Pakatan Harapan want to empower the youth.
“I would like to see a growth of a healthy democratic culture that’s why we are lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.
“What is good for the country may not be good for PH (Pakatan Harapan) unless it can rise to the challenge and is able to make young people aware of the idealism and take ownership of the new Malaysia.
“But first of all, PH should be allowed enough time to implement its mission and ideals of New Malaysia which will take maybe two or three more election cycles,” added the MP for Iskandar Putri.
