Reforms Take Time Need Broad Consensus Anwar

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Amid persistent complaints regarding the slow pace of reforms, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he is doing his best to push the reform agenda.
ADSHowever, he also said the agenda takes time and requires support from beyond his Pakatan Harapan coalition, which he noted does not have a simple majority in Parliament.
“There are some impatient ones. You can move fast and be thrown out tomorrow, so it has to be done with wisdom.
“Hikmah (wisdom from Allah) means a lot, not only in how you profess, but how you act. Do you have the resources? Do you have the necessary support? Are you able to convince the ruling elite and the professional elites that this is a mission that must be supported by all?
“And, what are the stages? Where do you begin? Can you just undertake this massive reform in a year, or two years, or three years? I don’t know. I don’t have all the answers.
“But what I know is there is no turning back. What I’m certain is that every month and every year, there must be some progression,” he said.
Anwar was delivering a keynote speech at the launch of the Centre of Excellence for Research and Innovation in Islamic Economies (i-Rise) in Kuala Lumpur today, which was streamed online.
He added that those who are impatient and want reforms to be implemented sooner are “blinded to the facts and the reality”.
He noted that because Harapan only has 81 out of 222 seats in Parliament, it has to work in a coalition with partners like BN, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to build consensus on the reform agenda.
Prime Minister and Pakatan Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim (left) and Deputy Prime Minister and BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi“We are fortunate because Umno and BN have now turned out to be one of the core pillars committed to this reform and support, but you can’t take things for granted because the process, negotiations, discussions, engagement is important…
“If you do not get that consensus between the key parties, including GPS and GRS, then how do you embark and support these sorts of alternative programs (like i-Rise)?” said the Harapan chairperson.
‘So few reforms to show’
Anwar has faced criticism from civil society groups as well as within his party regarding the pace of institutional reforms, which are regarded as being too slow.
Among them is Subang MP and PKR central committee member Wong Chen, who recently announced a two-week holiday in France to contemplate this political future.
“So much time (15 years) and effort have been spent getting into power, but now, I can’t help but feel a deep worry that we have so few reforms to show,” said Wong in a Facebook post on Sunday.
“I know we can achieve more reforms and the only way to do this is we, the MPs, must push the government harder from the backbench.” - Mkini

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