malaysia
National interests first, says Guan Eng on working with Dr Mahathir
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng says today the country’s interests should trump personal feelings. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, March 14, 2016.The cooperation by some opposition leaders with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the Citizens’ Declaration and Save Malaysia movement is based on shared principles, not personal interests, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng says today.
“If we go on personal feelings, (we) will never begin. Is our personal interest bigger than our country’s? We are not here to take on personal vengeance. But it is not easy. We also struggle,” Lim, who is Bagan MP, told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.
He was asked how he could sit together with Dr Mahathir, who as former prime minister had ordered Lim’s arrest and detention under the now repealed Internal Security Act.
“This is about basic trust, about the country’s interests.”
On March 4, Dr Mahathir led some Umno veterans and opposition leaders to sign the declaration seeking the removal of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister. So far, 45 people have signed it, including some civil society leaders.
Another signatory, Lim’s father, Kit Siang, was among the opposition leaders incarcerated by Dr Mahathir.
The younger Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, said the focus should also be on building trust.
"I'm not going to say there are no problems. There will be but what is the alternative? We are now working on a stalemate, where is the main problem?" he said.
Lim added that the Save Malaysia movement also needed a "clear narrative" which should be outlined as soon as possible. – March 14, 2016.
Please note that you must sign up with disqus.com before commenting. And, please refrain from comments of a racist, sexist, personal, vulgar or derogatory nature and note that comments can be edited, rewritten for clarity or to avoid questionable issues. As comments are moderated, they may not appear immediately or even on the same day you posted them. We also reserve the right to delete off-topic comments