Syed Saddiq slams Anwar's 'no action, talk only' govt

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has slammed the government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for allegedly failing to fulfil promised reforms.

“Basic reforms promised back in January are yet to be fulfilled. The reality is, this is a ‘Nato’ - no action, talk only - government.

“They (cabinet members) were supposed to declare their assets but it has been eight months (since the pledge was made) and no one has declared yet,” the Muda president told a press conference in Parliament today.

“(The government) also pledged to give fair and equal allocations but there is zilch so far. They said want to fight graft and pledged not to drop cases (against politicians) but it keeps happening,” he added.

All these prove that governance is a lie when it comes to today’s government, Syed Saddiq further claimed.

He was responding to the remark by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said that the coalition government “walked the talk” when it came to separating the powers of the attorney-general and public prosecutor.

In saying so, the Umno leader slammed Perikatan Nasional for not taking any measures toward the separation when they were the government.

Last July, the cabinet’s Special Committee on Anti-Corruption agreed to reintroduce asset declarations for members of the administration.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the declaration will be introduced after a new and more comprehensive reporting format is set up.

‘Don’t hide behind excuses’

Elaborating, Syed Saddiq, who earlier this month quit the government bloc in Parliament, said he is willing to consider supporting the government to vote on matters that benefit the public, which requires two-thirds support in the august House.

Therefore, there is no reason for the government to not implement promised reforms, he added.

“I have said from the beginning that I would back (the government) on matters that need extra support.

“(So) do not hide behind excuses that there is no political support, of instability. If it comes to support in Parliament, this is the most stable government in the last few decades.”

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Gerakan president Dominic Lau slammed Azalina’s claim as “baseless” and said it amounts to cheating themselves and the people of Malaysia.

“Not only has the government failed to keep the prices of goods in check, but it has also curtailed the people’s and the media’s freedom of expression and released those accused of corruption.

“The government has also failed to provide the allocations promised to opposition MPs.

“Thus, Azalina’s winding-up speech at the Dewan Rakyat today is a lie and an insult to the people of Malaysia. I hope Malaysians would not trust the Harapan-BN government, and unite in fighting for true democracy and reforms,” Lau said.

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