PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad should take responsibility over Pakatan Harapan's defeat in the five of ten by-elections called since GE14, says Bukit Gelugor lawmaker Ramkarpal Singh (pic).

The DAP lawmaker said Dr Mahathir must take responsibility for the defeat in Kimanis, as well as the other four by-elections, in light of weakening support for Pakatan since the 14th General Election.

Ramkarpal said Dr Mahathir's statement about being open to work with anyone does not inspire confidence.

"The Prime Minister’s confirmation that he is open to working with anyone, as long as it is not Datuk Seri Najib Razak implies that Pakatan may work with the likes of Umno and others, which were convincingly voted out in GE14.

"This certainly does not inspire confidence in Pakatan's commitment to real reforms, the platform on which it achieved the impossible in GE14 by defeating Barisan Nasional after 61 years in power," he said in a statement Tuesday (Jan 21).

Ramkarpal said the issue raised by activist and lawyer Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan that perhaps Dr Mahathir is the "only person" who has read the Institutional Reform Committee (IRC) report was also a serious concern.

"The IRC was set up soon after GE14, comprising eminent members for the purpose of identifying areas that need major reforms and for proposing ways to achieve such reforms.

"Surely, the said report of the IRC is crucial to PH’s reform agenda and ought to have been made public a long time ago. It is baffling why it has not," said Ramkarpal.

Ramkarpal said the in-fighting in Pakatan should stop and other factors such as the peaceful transition of power from Dr Mahathir to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as well as outlining a definite time frame for it should also be addressed.

"Like it or not, this issue has created tensions in Pakatan and can be destructive if not dealt with urgently.

"The survival of Pakatan must be the priority, and we can ill afford further erosion of support for the coalition," said Ramkarpal.

He added that there must be a strong political will to implement the reforms that were promised to the people and to tackle the deteriorating race relations in the country of late.

"If we start doing so now, I am confident that Pakatan will not be a one-term government," said Ramkarpal.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/01/21/ramkarpal-dr-m-should-take-responsibility-for-pakatan039s-defeat-in-five-of-ten-by-elections