Anwar: Our promised reforms won’t be rushed

The government will not implement the reforms it promised during the last general election in haste, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

In his policy speech at his party congress last night, the PKR president said he is taking a more prudent approach based on the experiences of other countries.

“Although some elites argue that we are slow in implementing reforms, trust me, we learn from past experiences. If we rush, whether in the implementation of Islam or in the execution of our reform agenda, we will be rejected by the people.

“Past experiences must teach us,” he said in his inaugural speech as the prime minister in front of 2,734 PKR delegates and 1,500 observers at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre last night.

Anwar cited the French Revolution as an example of how certain groups demanding immediate change led to a worsening of the country’s situation.

“The French Revolution of 1789-1799 had its bold slogan, ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’ (liberty, equality, fraternity). Yet with the emergence of the Jacobin elites obsessed with that ideology, they hastily took reckless measures to achieve their ambitions and overlooked the people’s problems.

“The eagerness of some elites demanding immediate change resulted in the toppling and beheading of (French revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre). In fact, there are studies showing that, for example, 10 years after the revolution, the condition of farmers in France was worse than the monarchy rule that came before it.

“Therefore, we must be prudent and wise in assessing our capabilities and the acceptance of the majority of the people,” he said.

Previously, several NGOs, politicians, activists, and political observers had opined that the government under Anwar was slow in introducing the reforms promised by Pakatan Harapan.

Anwar acknowledged in his speech that when the government was formed, it faced some difficulties in maintaining stability.

“Now, one year has passed, with the experience of unstable governments in recent years and attempts to ‘tebuk atap’ (forming a government through the ‘backdoor’) still going ongoing.

“Some doubted the government’s ability to survive. However, the loyalty of friends is clearly evident as they firmly reject all attempts by Perikatan Nasional to topple the unity government.

“The party leadership and ministers chose to ensure that the government remains inclusive with the Malay-bumiputera core, representing all races and territories.

“Our main focus is to restore the economy through good governance and convincing economic policies,” he said.

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