KUALA LUMPUR: DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang has told the nation to remain optimistic and positive in the coming months in order to achieve the objective of “Malaysia Baharu”.
He said that bickering parties and internal politics will be commonplace but the important thing was maintaining an optimistic attitude as the government was working towards making major reforms.
“Although there’s a lot of contradictions between parties in the coming months, bear with the new government as they are making progress,” he said at a talk organised by the Rotary Club of Pudu entitled “Driving Malaysia Forward”, here today.
Asked on whether current Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would vacate the seat for PKR president and prime-minister-in-waiting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, he said: “It is certain that Anwar will follow Mahathir in the coming midterms, the problem is we don’t know when the midterms are.”
He was also asked about his relationship with Mahathir in which he shared a little anecdote about the latter.
“I remember in one of our first meetings after we teamed up, he (Mahathir) told me that him working with me had cost him the support of the Malays. Well, I told him that my working with him had lost me the support of the non-malays,” Lim said, the joke receiving laughter in the hall.
He also explained that the reason that he did not wish to take up any government positions was to allow the young leaders in DAP to lead the country.
“DAP has many talented young idealistic Malaysians. It’s time for young people to run the country. It took a 93 year old to regain power, but we but we need youthful and young people to take up positions as 60% of the country is young people,” he said.
He added that this far the DAP ministers have done “excellently well” and that there was no reason for him to take up any positions.
