Malaysia becoming a ‘poster boy’ for wrong reasons

After Time magazine raps the country for corruption, Kit Siang says only the Citizens' Declaration can redeem Malaysia.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has become an international poster boy of a promising country descending into a failed state, says Lim Kit Siang.

The DAP supremo, in a statement, said this after Time magazine had cited Malaysia as the second worst example of current global corruption, following the controversy around 1Malaysia Development Bhd and a RM2.6 billion donation banked into Prime Minister Najib Razak’s personal accounts.

He said: “Najib’s twin mega scandals have not only not been resolved or ceased to be issues, but continue to haunt and hound the Najib premiership and the nation, inside and outside the country, almost every other day.”

Time, in its report about the controversies and the subsequent events that followed, including the sacking of then Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, wrote: “Malaysia exemplifies how corruption drives can fall short in countries with a single political party and weak governing institutions.”

Lim, a co-signatory of the Citizens’ Declaration initiated by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad this month, had become increasingly relevant and pertinent to the “salvation and redemption of Malaysia”.

“Only Malaysian citizens could prevent Malaysia from turning into a rogue state,” said Lim, who is MP for Gelang Patah.

The question is whether the majority of the Malaysians will rise up to the challenge this time to democratically and constitutionally ‘Save Malaysia’.”