KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — Veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang has challenged Pakatan Harapan to introduce more ambitious reforms during the next parliamentary meeting, saying the pace of these remain laggardly.
Despite successfully lowering the voting age and introducing the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) Bill, among others, Lim said the ruling coalition must disprove critics who said it lacked the appetite to pursue further reforms.
Lim said while the achievements so far have been laudable and beyond what the previous Barisan Nasional government ever tried, these were still “too slow and unsatisfactory.”
The Iskandar Puteri MP added that such reforms were crucial in setting the course for the country and to convince Malaysians that the PH coalition is fully committed to delivering the “New Malaysia” that has been repeatedly touted since the general election.
“A battle for the soul of Malaysia is now taking place, whether for or against the objectives of a New Malaysia.
“The proponents of klepto-theocracy, with their arsenal of lies, falsehoods, hate and fear, pitting race against race and religion against religion, who want to foster a divided and broken Malaysia, are the real enemies of the mission and dream of a New Malaysia,” he said in a speech yesterday.
During the meeting that ended on Thursday, Parliament unanimously approved amendments to the Federal Constitution to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, enable automatic voter registration, and open the door for 18-year-olds to run for office.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk VK Liew also tabled the IPCMC Bill on the final day of the meeting, bringing the country a step closer to civilian oversight of the police that a royal commission of inquiry first recommended in 2005.
However, the ruling coalition has yet to repeal or reform a slew of security laws such as the Sedition Act that it pledged to abolish upon winning the general election.
This failure was made painfully apparent when Muslim preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin lost his appeal against an old sedition conviction and was given an increased prison sentence instead.
Electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 also sought desperately to draw the administration’s attention to severe malapportionment that continues to plague Malaysia’s constituencies, going to the extent of breaching a parliamentary embargo to highlight the issue.
