Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today declared there is still much to do for Pakatan Rakyat to make Malaysia’s two-party system a reality.

In his keynote address at the ‘Pakatan Rakyat and the Making of Two-party System’ symposium in Kuala Lumpur today, the PKR supremo said there were a number of constraints holding back the opposition coalition.

anwar ibrahim nizar jamaluddin lim kit siang perak ceramah in pj 130509 04 These constraints, said Anwar, included limited access to government information, which is kept under a tight lid by the Barisan Nasional administration.

“Our work is clearly unfinished. For the two-party system to survive, let alone thrive, certain constraints must be lifted such as the limited access granted to the information held tightly by government ministries,” he said.

According to him, many scandals and abuses of power “have gone unreported” as they are kept hidden from the public eye “under the guise of national security”.

“This contrary to the spirit of public disclosure and accountability,” said Anwar.

“Our institutions are in a desperate need of reform so that they serve the common good and not the parochial interests of the political and corporate elites.”

Anwar, who was once the country’s deputy prime minister, conceded that Malaysia cannot be changed overnight despite a sea change in the political landscape since the 2008 general election.

He said despite the euphoria of the political tsunami in the last general election, Pakatan still face a formidable federal government.

“The media is shackled and unfree – incapable of fulfilling the sacred and solemn mandate bestowed upon the noble profession of journalism,” lamented Anwar.

Two-party system not born last year

According to the PKR leader, although the idea of a two-party system has been making its rounds since BN suffered a humiliating setback in the last general election, the two-party system was not born in 2008.

“In Malaysia, multiple parties have existed for many years and the opposition has held seats in Parliament since the very first days of the federation.

“We cannot say that the two-party system was born on March 8 as its existence coincides with the birth of the nation itself,” he added.

However, Anwar noted that the two-party system in existence today is different and sorely inadequate to meet Malaysians’ demand for political participation.

“They want greater space that is afforded to public deliberation, the exchange of ideas and the possibility of new choices and alternatives,” he said.

Today’s symposium, organised by Policy Research Institute (IKD), include speakers Universiti Malaysia political analyst Dr Abdul Aziz Bari, PKR vice-president and Subang parliamentarian R Sivarasa and Kelantan state executive councillor Husam Musa.