LKY doubt Pakatan can rule Malaysia - Time for Kuan Yew to ‘ride into the sunset’, says Karpal

Karpal Singh hit out at Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew today for doubting Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) ability to lead Malaysia, saying it was time for the elderly former prime minister to give up the reins of leadership and “quietly ride into the sunset”.

Commenting on Lee’s recently released book “One Man’s View of the World”, the DAP chairman and Bukit Gelugor MP said Lee had every right to give his views but the Singaporean politician should first look at his own party.

“His comment that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will not effectively govern the country had it been successful in winning over federal power is without any basis,” the DAP national chairman said in a press conference here.

Karpal said even though PR has only 89 representatives in Parliament but they are of better quality than the Cabinet under Barisan Nasional.

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LKY: Impossible for Najib to win Chinese, Indian backing without losing Malay votes

If Malaysians counting on Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia concept to usher in a new era for race relations are being unrealistic, those counting on the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to do the same are not very much less so, Lee Kuan Yew has written in his latest book.

The former Singapore prime minister said the 1Malaysia slogan had not lived up to the initial excitement it created, adding that the Malay ground had not moved with Najib’s ambitious plans to unite the different races in Malaysia.

“Prime Minister Najib proposed 1Malaysia because he wanted to win back some of the Chinese and Indian votes...But has the ground moved with him? Has there been thunderous applause from the Malays at 1Malaysia?,” Lee wrote in his book One Man’s View of the World, which was launched in the island republic last night.

Lee suggested that while Najib was ambitious in pushing for racial harmony, “but it appears political realities have conscribed his subsequent actions.”

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Singapore Malay group demands ISA for Kuan Yew

The Singapore Malay National Organisation (PKMS) has called for Lee Kuan Yew to be detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for stating in his book that Muslims there should be “less strict” about observing their religion.

The Singapore minister mentor courted controversy lately with his book, “Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going”, as well as stating in an interview that Singapore’s heavy defence spending was to deter neighbours Malaysia and Indonesia from “besieging” the island republic.

“Is Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s (picture) statement not distorting and inciting racial and religious disharmony?” said PKMS secretary-general Mohamed Nazem Suki in a statement.