Grilled by Ambiga Sreenevasan at a conference today, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng turned the tables on the social activist and asked why she was willing to work with Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The Penang chief minister, in ending a hard-hitting question-and-answer session, asked how Ambiga could reconcile with the former prime minister, given that he is seen as the source of the country's problems.

To this, the former Bar Council president pointed out that the Penang chief minister's own father, DAP parliamentary adviser Lim Kit Siang, is able to work with Mahathir.

Ambiga added that the question of her and Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah forgiving the 91-year-old does not arise.

"We are facing a bigger problem that is insurmountable (with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak). Even your father Kit Siang, who was imprisoned (under the Internal Security Act), has managed to put aside his differences, as so with Anwar Ibrahim.

"That really says something about the political reality and this creates a necessity for realignment. Look, I did not face any jail, unlike Kit Siang or Anwar, and even they are willing to go ahead.

"Who am I compared to both of them? I completely agree the entire system is rotten because of the previous regime. However, the country should come first now, before anything else," she said.

Lim was quizzing Ambiga on her cooperation with Mahathir on the Citizens' Declaration, a petition calling for Najib's removal over the 1MDB scandal.

They were speaking on the second day of the International Malaysian Law Conference 2016, in Kuala Lumpur.

Looking into having local council elections

Ealier, Ambiga questioned Lim on why he had failed to implement local government elections in Penang and continued to appoint local councillors along party lines.

Ambiga said it was as if Lim had lost the zest to see out the implementation of local council elections, despite DAP's pledge to do so.

She pointed out that Maria had managed to cooperate with the Selangor government to have local council elections in the state, and that Penang should emulate this.

Maria explained that Bersih has helped coordinate and monitor local council elections in Pulau Ketam and also in Seri Kembangan for the villagers welfare and security committee (JKKK).

Lim said he would reconsider the issue of local government elections but said there were hindrances; under the law, only the Election Commission can run elections, as it is the proper legal authority.

“We recognise grassroots democracy and take into account that this must be done properly and according to the legal requirements.

“Resources have to be put in and we will have to look into how to make a general representative election. However, I am willing to look at it and consider that,” he promised.

Two years ago, the highest court in the country, the Federal Court, dismissed Penang’s bid to hold local government elections, ruling that the Local Government Elections (Penang Island and Province Wellesley) Enactment 2012 was beyond the ambit of Section 15 of the Local Government Act 1976.

Since the court decision, the idea of having the local government elections has been shelved, despite the state enactment.