Malacca and Sarawak general elections must renew hopes of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion and region, that the Malaysian Dream, though difficult and uphill, is not an impossible dream

Yesterday, I issued an Open Letter to DAP leaders, members and supporters in Malaysia and the Diaspora that the hardliners in the Ismail Sabri government who wanted Malacca and Sarawak general elections this year believing that there is a possibility of wiping out the DAP or delivering a fatal blow to DAP have won over the moderates who wanted to uphold the confidence-supply-reform (CSR) memorandum of understanding (MOU) and delay elections.

I warned that the DAP faced the existential threat of either being wiped out or suffering a fatal blow to the DAP’s Malaysian Dream of building an united and prosperous multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-cultural country which is a world-class great nation in important fields of human endeavour after leveraging on the best values and virtues of the four great civilizations of the world.

Today, I am issuing a second Open Letter to state that the Malacca and Sarawak general elections must renew hopes of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion and region, that the Malaysian Dream, though difficult and uphill, is not an impossible dream.

The only right thing that Ismail Sabri has done since becoming Prime Minister on August 20, apart from signing the CSR MOU, was his coinage of the “Keluarga Malaysia” slogan – which is a tribute to DAP’s Malaysian Dream that Malaysia can only succeed as a world-class great nation if we can unite and fully exploit the talents and capabilities of Malaysia’s multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-cultural diversity as any mono-ethnic or mono-religious nation-building policy will end in Malaysia becoming a failed state.

But “Keluarga Malaysia” had only remained a slogan in the 77 days that Ismail Sabri was the 9th Prime Minister of Malaysia, as he had failed to give meaning and substance to the “Keluarga Malaysia” policy.

The 2022 Budget would have been an excellent opportunity for his “Keluarga Malaysia” slogan to become a policy, but instead it was the very opposite of a “Keluarga Malaysia” budget.

No wonder the former economic adviser of the Pakatan Harapan government, Mohammad Abdul Khalid, asked where was the fairness in the 2022 Budget over the measly allocation of millions for non-bumiputeras but billions for the bumiputeras.

The acrimonious rhetoric over Timah Whisky and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s ban on hard liquor sales by grocery and convenience stores were the very anti-thesis of a “Keluarga Malaysia” policy.

The realisation of the Malaysian Dream is not going to be easy one.

But progress had been made.

Who would have thought, for instance, that it was possible to end UMNO hegemony in Malaysia politics and save Malaysia from becoming a kleptocracy in the 2018 general election?

Perseverance, stamina and commitment to the long-term goal are needed for the fulfilment of the Malaysian Dream – for the sake of the future of Malaysia and her citizens, regardless of race, religion or region.

This is the message we must spread in the Malacca and Sarawak general election.

Lim Kit Siang MP for Iskandar Puteri