Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Monday, 8^th February 2010: 

UMNO leaders in Federal Government should not play with fire and mortgage credibility and success of 1Malaysia GTP Roadmap and Malaysia 2.0 new economic model

UMNO leaders in the Federal Government, from the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to Cabinet and sub-Cabinet levels should not play with fire and mortgage the credibility and success of the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP) Roadmap and Malaysia 2.0 new economic model yet to be announced by Najib.

They should be mindful that Malaysians and the world are watching whether they could separate their responsibilities as Federal Government officials from those of Umno leaders, which would have a great bearing on the credibility, trustworthiness and success of of Najib’s 1Malaysia GTP Roadmap and Malaysia 2.0 new economic model which is to be the basis for the Tenth Malaysia Plan to be presented to Parliament in June.

For instance, national and international credibility in the system of governance which plays a very important role in a country’s international competitiveness, would suffer grievously if Malaysians and the international community believe that the Najib premiership is unable to rise above narrow political party considerations to give top priority to national interests as to continue to compromise the independence, professionalism and integrity of national law enforcement agencies.

There is for instance growing national and international concern about double standards in government where irresponsible elements provoking sensitive racial and religious outbursts are given immunity and leeway if they are aimed at destabilizing Pakatan Rakyat state governments, even when these demonstrations are founded on baseless allegations or half-truths, like the outrage of the cowhead demonstration against the Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim in Selangor in August last year and the demonstration against the Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng last Friday.

Malaysians are witnessing a reversal of role of mainstream media (msm). Since more than a decade ago from the outset of the Anwar Ibrahim reformasi movement in 1998, mainstream media will play down the crowds at demonstrations by dividing them with a factor of 10. Now, we have mainstream media magnifying the crowd at anti-Pakatan Rakyat demonstrations by multiplying it by a factor of ten – which explains Bernama reporting a demonstration of 3,000 against the Penang Chief Minister last Friday.

The 1Malaysias GTP Roadmap makes many proposals about promoting “a truly 1Malaysia government” and an “all-inclusive 1Malaysia media” but they will have neither credibility nor public confidence if “a truly 1Malaysia government” and “an all-inclusive 1Malaysia media” fail the daily test of actual day-to-day governance in the eyes of Malaysians and the world.

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Ipoh Timor