KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should alternate the coalition at its helm from time to time as this will be healthier for both the government and the people, said DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang.
However, he said, Pakatan Harapan must be given enough time to prove itself and to undo all the harm inflicted by the previous government.
“I would like to see the growth of a healthy democratic culture. It’d be good if you have a multi-party coalition alternation of power.
“But first of all, PH should be allowed to have enough time to implement its mission and ideals of a new Malaysia, which will take maybe two or three election cycles.
“After that, it’s good to change,” he told the New Straits Times at his office at the Parliament recently.
The reason for this, he said, was to avoid leaders from being influenced by all the comfort that comes with their positions in the government which in the long run could lead to corruption, among others.
“There’s always a tendency for people to overreach. All over the world, history has shown us that good men and women began to make mistakes when they overreach after they are in power,” he said.
Lim cautioned that switching the government too soon would cost Malaysia its desired future and reverting to Barisan Nasional would drive the country into a “chaotic era” filled with uncertainties.
If Malaysians were not being careful in choosing the right people to protect their own interest, the Iskandar Puteri Member of Parliament warned that a similar fate like what happened to Venezuela might befall Malaysia.
“Venezuela was one of the richest countries in the world about 40 years ago. It was a country that people in South America wanted to go to.
“Forty years ago, they provided free education and medical service but today, it’s poor, backward and bankrupt.
“So, we have to save future generations from the fate of Venezuela. But this generation has to pay the price of what was left behind by Barisan Nasional.”
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