KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 16): A DAP delegate has said the party should remain in the unity government but urged its leadership to reassess its relationship with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Wilayah Persekutuan delegate Sangeet Kaur Deo accused Anwar of pitting coalition partners against one another in the unity government and allowing Umno to openly attack DAP.
“Instead of bringing the coalition partners together, what has he done? He has divided us, pitting one against the other. He has empowered Umno. We cannot afford to ignore that,” she said while debating the motion on whether DAP should remain part of the unity government at the party’s congress on Sunday.
Sangeet said she supported DAP remaining in the government to allow the party to rebuild trust and confidence among voters.
Nevertheless, she said DAP should not justify remaining in the unity government solely on the grounds of delivering reforms it had promised, arguing that sufficient progress had not been made.
“Do not say we are staying to achieve the reforms we have promised all this while, because if we were, we would have done it already,” Sangeet said.
Sangeet said DAP should instead use the next 18 months to strengthen the party, speak up more forcefully while remaining in government and rebuild its credibility among voters.
“Stay in government, find our voices. If we must become the opposition again, at least we have laid the foundation and basics and regained credibility,” she said.
Five reform demands
Meanwhile, Sarawak delegate Soo Tien Ren called on the party to publicly set five clear reform demands as a scorecard for its continued participation in the unity government.
He said the demands should include requiring the prime minister to relinquish the finance minister portfolio, providing equal allocations to opposition parties, abolishing the Sedition Act, establishing an Ombudsman Malaysia, and extending diesel subsidies to all commercial vehicles while increasing the Budi95 fuel allocation to 300 litres.
“These are not impossible reforms. Some are promises we have made for years. They require political will,” he said.
Soo also said DAP should be prepared to part ways with Anwar if the government failed to deliver the reforms.
“If they cannot deliver, the day we must have the courage to say goodbye to Anwar has come,” he said.