GEORGE TOWN – The reforms touted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim can at best be done in stages and strategically to ensure they are successfully absorbed by the people, said a former PKR senator.
While Anwar has been preaching on reforms for much of his political career since 1998, the country also cannot afford to fail on the quest to meet head on the new realities of the post-pandemic global order, said Yusmadi Yusoff.
Citing the Reforms 1.0 movement under Anwar’s predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Yusmadi noted that the initiative had failed miserably because there was no buy-in by his administration.
“This set back the efforts of Pakatan Harapan to reform the country back by at least five years.
“Now we have to start all over in the midst of betrayals and a loss of belief in our abilities.”
The former PKR foreign affairs liaison officer said that Anwar also needs to venture into capacity-building to ensure that the people themselves are ready to champion the reforms, which are wholesale as it involves institutional, cultural and political reforms.
Hence, for the first several months of his tenure, Anwar had focused on three aspects: growing the economy, empowering the youth, and consolidating the national unity government to prevent a recurrence of the Sheraton Move, which led to the formation of a backdoor government in 2020.
Yusmadi also echoed the notion that implementing the reforms Anwar advocates may be a long and tedious process, but remains an essential one to undertake if the country wants to regain its status as a progressive nation.
“Reforms are not top-heavy. It has to be embraced by the people, who must comprehend that changes are meant to change the course of the country from entrapment in a middle-income status to one that is of high value, quality-driven and progressive.”
Yusmadi acknowledged that while the federal unity government is preoccupied with reforming and generating meaningful growth rates, the opposition has seized the opportunity to put forth their populist policies, which are difficult to put into practice.
“(Popular means) championed by Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor are nice to preach about…(they may be) popular as one liners on TikTok…but in reality, are the goals attainable?”
PKR members here shared their frustration at the slow pace of reforms, citing that with each passing day, the people are remarking that there is not much difference between the PH rule and the others which came before the unity coalition.
The members urged the authorities to consider setting up a specific division within the government to oversee and chart the pace of reforms in the country.
To this, Yusmadi said that the reforms are a work in progress, and it takes time for such changes to materialise in both public and private sectors. – The Vibes, September 18, 2023
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