Anwar needs to show us his reform plan

COMMENT | After the disappointment of the new Pakatan Harapan government reneging on their GE14 manifesto promises, Anwar Ibrahim has to tell us what he plans to do that is different from the actions of the current prime minister.

If he fails to produce a better vision than Dr Mahathir Mohamad has shown us thus far, there really isn’t much to look forward to and we might as well let the current PM last out his term until the next elections.

On the back of Harapan's pre-election promises, the least we expect is that Anwar makes it a priority to address 10 burning issues that are central to reforming Malaysia. Anwar should tell us if he can and will commit to implementing them:

1. An end to race-based policies

Will Anwar replace race-based policies such as the New Economic Policy (NEP) with needs-based measures that truly benefit the lower-income and marginalized sectors? The NEP was supposed to end in 1990 but has become a populist never-ending policy to win over the Bumiputeras while benefiting mainly the political elite.

It is common sense that poor rural Malaysians should be assisted based on their needs in their particular economic sectors. And with more than 95 percent Bumiputera composition in the civil and armed forces, will the PM-designate ensure that recruitment and promotion in these services are based on merit from now on?

Furthermore, does Anwar endorse Mahathir’s plan to privatise Khazanah Nasional to benefit Bumiputera interests? And does he agree with the PM’s plan for a new national car, Proton 2.0?...