Wanita MCA Penang challenges DAP to insert local council elections into the Pakatan Manifesto – Lim Guan Eng should not play political tricks

By raising the topic of restoring local council elections, DAP Secretary General is just out to deceive Penang voters. This pledge was made five years ago, but yet, to date, the DAP-led state government once again raises this issue up to hoodwink voters.

As the state government does not have the funds and similarly cannot deliver on their promise, they now blame the federal government, saying that it is the federal government’s fault.

The question that has to be raised is that why did Pakatan not include “restoration of local council elections” in Pakatan’s Manifesto Rakyat? Is it because certain political parties disagree to holding such local polls? Or is because they never even thought about inserting this subject into their Manifesto?

DAP is adamant to that local council elections be restored. Yet, with local council polls being excluded from the Manifesto Rakyat, how can DAP talk about consensus among the three political parties?

Blackmailing the federal government proves DAP’s insincerity & political gimmick

Issuing an ultimatum to Putrajaya to restore local council polls for Penang is tantamount blackmail and a political gimmick. If Guan Eng and DAP were sincere in their demands that local council elections be held, then they should have insisted that local council polls be included in the Manifesto Rakyat. Otherwise, they should withdraw their threat of suing the federal government if the latter does not issue the order to the Election Commission to conduct local polls.

I believe that Guan Eng holds no sincerity at all to restore local government elections. At his press conference yesterday, his threat against the federal government was carried out merely to provoke an issue to win votes given that the general election is just around the corner.

“Manifesto is not a promise”

It should be pointed out that Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had claimed that an election manifesto is not a promise, and hence, there is no necessarily to fulfill it. These being his words and deeds all go to prove that Pakatan’s general election manifesto i.e. Manifesto Rakyat released in various languages written and spoken in Malaysia may emit excitement but is left completely useless, because there is no need nor urgency to honour the pledges contained therein.

As political leaders, it is most crucial to keep to one’s promises. Politicians must perform and honour whatever has been pledge in the general election manifesto. Otherwise, contrary to being trustworthy, their pledges are best described as unconvincing.