BN supreme council leaders playing second fiddle to Umno, says Kit Siang

Kit Siang mocks BN's contention that Malaysia has the 'best government in the world', when a recent survey shows the prime minister's popularity has fallen recently. - The Malaysian Insider pic, November 1, 2014.Veteran opposition leader Lim Kit Siang today castigated Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders for their silence on various issues, including the Attorney-General’s "double standards" in prosecution.

Expressing his disappointment, the DAP lawmaker said none of the component party leaders at last night's BN supreme council meeting demanded that Putrajaya take a clear stand on numerous issues such as selective prosecution by the AG, the April implemetation of the contentious Goods and Services Tax (GST) and weak anti-corruption efforts.

"The BN Supreme Council continues to be a platform for the exposition of Umno political hegemony in BN, with the role of all the leaders of the other 13 BN component parties restricted merely to hear and obey Umno instead of being a meaningful forum where government policies are thrashed out with the input and consensus of all the BN component parties," he said in a statement.

AG Tan Sri Gani Patail has been criticised for his decision not to prosecute Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali for his call last year to burn the Bibles with the word "Allah" but at the same time, opposition politicians, activists and academicians have been either investigated or charged for sedition for less.

Lim said Malaysians had expected the matter to be brought up at last night's meeting as well as in the Cabinet.

"What is the use of lowly officials from MCA, Gerakan, MIC or Sabah and Sarawak BN component parties criticising the AG for his double standards and abuse of the prosecutorial discretions if their ministers in Cabinet and leaders in the BN Supreme Council dare not raise these matters at the proper forum to get them resolved?

"The trouble with politics in Malaysia is that we have ministers and leaders who are prepared to do anything to keep their positions in government," said the DAP parliamentary leader and Gelang Patah MP.

Singling out Umno's Datuk Ahmad Maslan for his recent declaration that Malaysia has "one of the best governments in the world", Lim reminded the deputy finance minister that the recent survey by Merdeka Centre revealed that prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's popularity has dropped.

The survey showed that Najib's approval ratings had dived by six percentage points to 48% from from the last survey done in August due to dissatisfaction over fuel subsidy cuts.

"Can Ahmad Maslan explain how Najib as the prime minister of “one of the best governments in the world” could record the lowest popularity rating in the poll survey last month?

"If Najib's popularity rating among those satisfied with his government continues to fall, while his unpopularity rating among those unsatisfied with his government continues to rise, Najib will be breaking all records for all Malaysian prime ministers in terms of decline in popularity.

"Is this what Ahmad Maslan means by the Najib government being ‘one of the best governments in the world’?" he asked.

- TMI