Dari Malaysiakini
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has backed PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim as Parliamentary opposition leader and to lead the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.
In a contrasting view from his party chair Karpal Singh following Karpal’s outburst, Lim said the Pakatan Rakyat leadership has clearly endorsed a position that no individual party policy can be a Pakatan policy unless it is endorsed unanimously by all three parties.
“I would like to state that the DAP reaffirms its support for Pakatan Rakyat to establish an alternative government that is democratic, people-centric and with an ethical leadership based on the five principles of freedom, justice, truth, social welfare and universal moral values,” he said.
“In this regard, the DAP supports Anwar as the Parliamentary Opposition Leader, and will remain so, There is no single leader who has ever questioned this during internal meetings.”
Different views normal
Lim, who is also the Penang Chief Minister said this in a statement in responding to Karpal’s call on Anwar to step down as Pakatan Rakyat leader.
Karpal had blamed Anwar for the disarray in Pakatan which was caused by the PKR leader’s continuous rhetoric of forming government with the aid of defectors from Barisan Nasional.
“He has created enough trouble and it is time for him to bertaubat (repent). It’s time Pakatan got itself another leader,” the DAP chairperson said in his scathing attack on Anwar.
Lim acknowledges there are different view points within Pakatan but all these are taken in stride in the opposition coalition.
Referring to the hudud issue as an example, DAP’s view on hudud is crystal clear and regardless of whatever support for hudud and the establishment of an Islamic state, whether from PAS or PKR, this will not be the Pakatan Rakyat’s policy as long as DAP does not agree with it.
“Similarly, the DAP leadership has been consistently urging the government to enact an anti-hopping law even before the Perak crisis. We have also expressed support of our MPs to do so. As BN does not have a two-third parliamentary majority, the support of all 28 DAP MPs will be required to effect any constitutional amendment for such anti-hopping laws.”
Lim said as party secretary-general, he was duty-bound to execute these policies but should any member wishes to change them, they are required to use proper party channels to do so.
Emploring Karpal to use proper party channel Lim said “I appeal to Karpal as chair of the DAP to use internal party channels and not use the BN-controlled media, should he wish to change these policies or even criticise my leadership.”
The DAP secretary-general emphasised the party remains committed towards a multi-racial, multi religious and multi-cultural Malaysia, and its deep conviction in the Bangsa Malaysia concept.
“DAP is inclusive of all races and religions. We represent the interests and fights for the rights of every Malaysian,” said Lim.
DAP will have to grow
However, he pledged that the party was willing to undertake a transformational process which may be painful but necessary.
“We have no alternative but to grow without compromising our basic principles,” he said.
“As a democratic party, DAP policies can be changed in accordance with the wishes of its members. However until today there has been no requests to question or disturb the basic framework of co-operation between the three parties of DAP, PAS and PKR that makes up Pakatan Rakyat.”
Pakatan Rakyat controls 82 seats, compared to 137 BN-controlled legislators in the 222-seat lower House of Parliament.
Commenting on the issue, Penang Gerakan Youh chief Oh Tong Keong has called on Lim to state whether he supports “party-hopping” as a means of forming a government.
“They had different stands on the hudud law issue, yet DAP did not dare leave Pakatan. This is because DAP members want to remain in power and did not dare offend PAS or PKR,” the Star quoted Oh as saying.
