Yoursay: Rakyat voted for change, but Harapan unable to deliver it

YOURSAY | ‘The whole lot of you have been labelled as kings of U-turns.’

Can Pakatan Harapan win the 15th General Election in 2023?

Salvage Malaysia: Of course, there’s a chance that Pakatan Harapan can win the 15th General Election. It’s all about probability.

But with the way things are going, the resentment and disappointment from the rakyat towards Harapan grow stronger with each passing day.

And seriously, I wish DAP leader Lim Kit Siang can stop talking about New Malaysia. It’s as hollow as 1Malaysia. Just get Harapan to manage the 3R issues of race, religion and royalty.

Frankly, I don’t even know what shared prosperity really means. Prosperity comes from hard and honest work. How do you share with those who expect everything given on a silver platter?

Malaysia 2030: Lim, Harapan is not performing due to having a lot of incompetent ministers and also the ex-Umno rubbish joining Bersatu and given ministerial posts. If these people continue to be racist than there is no hope for a Malaysia Baru.

We, the rakyat, dare you to change. We voted for change but the Harapan government dare not push through with the changes. I’m very disappointed

Enlighten: If the GE15 is held today, Harapan will lose. There has been no significant progress made after one-and-a-half years in power.

Of course, Harapan still has three-and-a-half years to change the tide provided the opposition fails to force an early election.

Evan K: Should a general election be called tomorrow, the DAP will be crushed for reneging on many of their pre-GE14 promises, and MCA and MIC will only stand to gain from the ever-increasing frustrations on the ground.

The feeling of inclusivity and harmony have drastically dissipated these last few months, thanks to Muslim preacher Zakir Naik and his defenders. The feeling in the air is one of abandonment.

Currently, the non-Malays feel betrayed by their leaders. They simply cannot understand why their country would choose a foreigner over them.

Drngsc: I do admire your optimism, Lim. However, the reality is, unless Harapan can pull its socks up, its chances in GE15 are dire.

First, it needs to get rid of that old man. Secondly, Harapan needs to begin implementing its reform agenda and manifesto.

The first 15 months was at best barely just passable (Grade: C-). However, you do have 45 months to go. There is still time to improve, and we certainly hope that you do.

But as long as that old man is there creating bobby traps for the coalition partners, manoeuvring behind the scenes to bring back Umno 3.0 and refusing to work by consensus, while making unilateral decisions, Harapan is no better than the BN of old (save for less corruption).

Yes, we should celebrate Aug 31 and Sept 16 with gusto and pray to the Almighty to give Harapan leaders the strength to fight that old man.

If our prayers are answered then the rest of the 45 months should be better for new Malaysia, and the prospect of winning GE15 is that much better.

Bamboo: I hope there will be a third force by 2023. Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has hijacked Harapan. And DAP hasn't stood up for the people.

The only chance that BN will not take over power is to form a new coalition minus Bersatu, which is seen as a power grab by Mahathir. The party has the least seats but the most ministers and menteri besar.

It's time that Mahathir's Machiavellian steps is stopped in its track. Otherwise, there won't be true reform in Malaysia.

Anonymous_a01a7b4a: From all the comments here, it does seem like in less than 15 months Mahathir has become the most hated person (from most loved). I hope he takes the cue to retire soonest.

Conscious: Lim, you need to stand up and be bolder just like you were before May 9, 2018, when you were in the opposition. Why is Muslim preacher Zakir Naik given so much face? He is a snake with venom splitting us all up. Why are we protecting him?

Can former premier Najib Abdul Razak and his associate, Jho Low, run to India and seek refuge there by citing that the Malaysia government and courts are unfair? Imagine if this happens, where we will stand?

You need to get rid of Mahathir and we need a true Malay leader who stands for the country and the common man in the street. We cannot have Mahathirism coming back.

Docsarna: Lim, please wake up and do your groundwork properly. At the current rate, rest assured that Harapan may even lose Penang, your so-called fortress.

You can start saying goodbye to Selangor and Perak, and even now, Joho - the voters made a mistake earlier, and I doubt they will repeat it.

All you have done so far is blame the previous government for all that had failed. Well, you think the rakyat are stupid? Of course, we knew. That was why we voted BN out.

Alas, what did we gain? A more racist government. A government that literally failed to keep the country united.

So far, not one policy introduced has been wholeheartedly accepted by the rakyat. And to make matters worse, almost all ministers have been making U-turns.

Just A Malaysian: Yes, Harapan is not perfect. Far from it. It fumbles through its idealism and spends more time fighting toxic race and religion issues.

The coalition's newest component, Bersatu, does not have any grounded principles and we see its minister going back to the old Umno ways of defending race and religion.

But to vote for the Umno-PAS alliance is like putting Darth Vader into power. Their only core philosophy is implementing religious fundamentals in a multiracial country and stealing public coffers while defending race and religion.

If such a toxic combination comes into power, the future of this country for all races is gone. A once proud Malay race will be kneeling to big powers like China to survive. Harapan must not fail.

Anonymous 770241447347646: What choice do you have? If not the Harapan coalition, then it's the Umno-PAS combo. If the opposition wins, it will be back to the same situation. Corruption, mismanagement, wastages and this time added with a higher dosage of religious rhetoric.

Harapan may not be perfect, but everybody can see that corruption is under control. Not wiped out but better managed. So many government and semi-government departments and companies are now managed by people with integrity.

And then you have the Election Commission, Bank Negara, the chief justice, the attorney-general and more. At least, we can see some clarity as these leaders get their act together and make these departments run smoothly.

It's not like before, where everyone from ministers, department heads and directors, and all the way to the lower ranks, run their departments and units like it were their kingdoms.

There are individuals in Harapan who are trying hard to get their act together but due to certain leaders, it has been hard. It is these leaders that are the hindrance.

Unless they change their mindsets and think for the betterment of the nation as a whole, there will be stumbling blocks for the nation to progress. To change more than 60 years of mindset, it will take at least one decade.

We have to identify these stumbling blocks and make sure that we do not make the same mistakes of having them back in power the next time around.

In the meantime, we hope that whatever time Harapan has left, it would not be wasted by being stuck in racial and religious rhetoric but to concentrate on fixing Malaysia's economy.

Harapan must find ways how to unite the various races through its programmes and events. Enemies are waiting at the door to find the slightest excuse to use this as a weapon to create friction and destroy whatever binds us together. - Mkini