MP SPEAKS | Parliament is scheduled to meet on March 9, which also marks 21 months from the historic decision of Malaysian voters on May 9, 2018, when the world sat up and noticed that Malaysia can lead the world in renewing hope in democracy when, for over a decade in the world, democracy had been in retreat losing out to autocratic and kleptocratic regimes.

But will there be a Pakatan Harapan government by March 9, 2020, or will Malaysians and the rest of the world observe another Malaysian infamy, ignominy and iniquity, where the historic decision of May 9, 2018, to Save Malaysia from the fate of a failed, rogue and kleptocratic state will be hijacked and perverted by a backdoor government, using the name of Harapan to kill Harapan, and to justify not only the reversion to a global kleptocracy but even worse, the advent of a kakistocracy where the worst, the most unscrupulous and the most unprincipled elements of society occupy the high offices of state in the nation?

In introducing Harapan’s 14th general election manifesto, the Buku Harapan, the Harapan chairperson, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said on March 8, 2018: “This book contains Harapan’s promises to the people of Malaysia on the steps we will take when we become the government.

“These are the policies and actions that we will implement to give this country the treatment that it needs, to rebuild the nation and to fulfil the hope of the people.

“On behalf of everyone in Pakatan Harapan, with humility and in full submission to Allah SWT, I offer ourselves to shoulder the heavy responsibility of saving the country.

“We appeal to the people to give us a chance to showcase our abilities and to help the country.

“With the publication of this book, we also humbly pledge that we are willing to be judged by the people on how far we fulfil our promises when we are in government.

“If we fail or if we break our promises, by all means, reject us in the next general election.”

Are Malaysians now suddenly to believe, for instance, that the 42 Barisan Nasional MPs (39 from Umno, two from MCA and one from MIC) and the 18 PAS MPs now support Harapan’s GE14 manifesto and the arrest and trial of Najib Abdul Razak and former top BN leaders – and if so, will they make such a declaration?

Will they now also declare support for the Malaysian Citizens’ Declaration of March 4, 2016, which declared for:

a) The removal of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as the Prime Minister of Malaysia through non-violent and legally permissible means;

b) The removal of all those who have acted in concert with him;

c) Repeal of all the recent laws and agreements that violate the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Federal Constitution and undermine policy choices; and

d) Restoration of the integrity of the institutions that have been undermined, such as the police, the MACC, Bank Negara and the PAC.

Are they now in support of the Citizen’s Declaration’s call on “all Malaysians, irrespective of race, religion, political affiliation, creed or parties, young and old” to “save the nation and pave the way for much needed democratic and institutional reforms, and to restore the important principle of the separation of powers among the executive, legislature and judiciary, which will ensure the independence, credibility, professionalism and integrity of our national institutions”?

Isn’t the toppling of the Harapan government and the hijacking and perversion of the Harapan Agenda for a New Malaysia the work of traitors, an unforgivable betrayal of the trust and mandate of the voters of Malaysia who had voted for a New Malaysia on May 9, 2018?

I am shocked by those involved in the hijacking and perversion of the Malaysian people’s mandate of May 9, 2018.

Apart from the ringleaders, I urge all who had been involved to remember and respect the solemn and courageous mandate of the people for a New Malaysia on May 9, 2018, to desist at the brink of the precipice and to return to the path of honesty, principle, trust and responsibility to defend the Harapan Agenda so that the Harapan government can discharge its mandate of a New Malaysia.

LIM KIT SIANG is the MP for Iskandar Puteri.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.