Guan Eng: A clean gov't will deliver better results

SANDAKAN POLLS | Malaysians may feel pessimistic about the country's economic performance, but a "clean" Pakatan Harapan administration will eventually turn things around, assures Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Referring to the latest government approval ratings released by pollster Merdeka Center, Lim said it was a good reminder for Harapan to work hard to undo problems left by their predecessors.

"Actually, there is the matter of mismatched expectations, because the expectations are too high. How can you resolve problems and scandals inherited by us over 61 years in one year?

"We need time, but we believe we can turn this around, because a clean government will always perform better than a corrupt government," he told reporters in Sandakan today.

The DAP secretary-general was on the campaign trail for Vivian Wong, the Harapan candidate for the Sandakan by-election.

'Opposition not offering solutions'

Touching on the opposition, Lim said Umno and PAS are not offering any solutions to improve the economy.

"What can they offer? Umno can only offer more corruption," he said. "As for PAS, they can't even manage the economy (in Kelantan) competently. They cannot even afford to pay their civil servants."

Last June, the Kelantan government wrote to the Finance Ministry to seek a RM97 million advance due to cash flow problems.

Lim eventually made the letter public, after PAS MPs refused to concede that Kelantan could not pay its civil servants their salaries.

Meanwhile, Lim reiterated his call for Sandakan to vote for Wong to back the government's attempt to restore the rights and constitutional position of Sabah within the federation.

He added that opposition Parti Bersatu Sabah candidate Linda Tsen was endorsed by both Umno and PAS, both of which have been using racial and religious rhetoric as their main weapon.

"Can they unite all Malaysians? Do they represent all Malaysians? Only Harapan represents all Malaysians in terms of demography and geography.

"(Umno and PAS) only want to represent one race, one religion and one region. Harapan and (ally) Warisan are different. 

"We want to represent all people, all races, all religions and all localities," he said.

The Sandakan by-election will take place on May 11. 

Besides Wong and Tsen, three independents – Hamzah Abdullah, Chia Siew Yong and Sulaiman Abdul Samad – are also running for the parliamentary seat. - Mkini