KUALA LUMPUR – It was impossible for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration to fully implement reforms as the government was led by “non-reformer” Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Anwar said Dr Mahathir does not believe in reform, instead in “cronyism and some form of corruption”.
During Dr Mahathir’s tenure as the seventh prime minister, Anwar said his former coalition boss returned to racial politics which opposes PH’s multi-racial agenda.
“We did undertake some reform measures in terms of judicial independence and anti-corruption, but it was half-hearted, because the leader of this so-called reform government was not a reformer,” he said at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand in Bangkok.
“He does not believe in reform.”
Anwar alleged that the Langkawi MP went back to strong racial overtones such as attending a Malay congress that harped on race supremacy.
PH chairman Anwar also expressed confidence that the coalition has a fair chance of reclaiming Putrajaya come the next general election.
“I remain optimistic, because there is a huge battle between the members of the ruling coalition – former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the major partner of the Umno-led coalition headed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.”
During the infamous Sheraton Move in February 2020, several lawmakers defected, which led to the collapse of the Dr Mahathir-led PH federal government. – The Vibes, September 23, 2022
