Kuching: The handling by the Unity Government of the shareholding controversy involving Tan Sri Azam Baki and the case concerning James Chai is deeply concerning. Immediate action is needed to stop the suppression of dissenting voices.
I urge the government to demonstrate its commitment to reform through concrete actions, beginning with placing Azam Baki on suspension pending investigation.
Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the 2018 “GE14” general election was not achieved merely because of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s influence among Malay voters.
More importantly, it was built upon Pakatan Harapan’s long-standing commitment to opposing corruption and abuse of power, as well as its founding principles of defending freedom and democracy.
During GE14, the corruption scandals surrounding former Prime Minister Najib Razak had already reached a level that outraged the public.
Riding on the strong wave of anti-corruption sentiment, Pakatan Harapan succeeded in toppling a corrupt regime that had dominated and damaged Malaysia for more than half a century.
What people cannot accept today, and what they fear the most, is the tragic scenario where the Unity Government led by Anwar Ibrahim repeats what the Barisan Nasional Government did in the past.
I express regret that, at a time when many believed institutional reforms were beginning to take shape, there now appears to be a troubling situation in which individuals allegedly implicated in corruption are being shielded. In contrast, those who expose and condemn corruption are instead subjected to investigation.
As Puchong Member of Parliament Yeo Bee Yin aptly remarked, these incidents inevitably raise a painful question: have we become the very people we once despised?
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim must reflect not merely on how to win the next general election, but, more importantly, on how to deliver the reform agenda during his current term in office.
After all, Anwar himself was once a victim of this deeply flawed system in 1998, and it was from that episode that the Reformasi movement emerged, propelling him to become the symbol and face of reform in Malaysia.
It is precisely for this reason that Malaysians across the country felt such excitement and hope when Anwar became the nation’s tenth Prime Minister.
For the same reason, he must not become the Prime Minister who allows this rotten system to return.
If the people were able to remove Najib from the premiership in 2018 and end Barisan Nasional’s more than half-century rule, and they were also able to make Anwar’s long-awaited dream of becoming Prime Minister a reality in 2022, then they certainly have the power to remove us from it as well.
If the Unity Government continues to repeat the sins of devils past, what awaits us will be condemnation far greater and more painful than what we witnessed in the Sabah election.
Chong Hong Hien
DAP Green Road Branch Deputy Secretary
6 March 2026
