KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s opposition coalition has pledged to axe an unpopular good and services tax and reopen investigations into a multibillion-dollar financial scandal linked to Prime Minister Najib Razak if it wins the next elections.
The Hope Alliance, led by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, also promised to clip the powers of the prime minister, revive fuel subsidies and a slew of economic reforms as part of its manifesto for polls due by August but widely expected in the second quarter.
In announcing the coalition’s manifesto late Thursday, Mahathir said the opposition has been labelled “government-in-waiting” as he rallied supporters to unite to oust the coalition that has ruled since independence.
At 92, Mahathir will be the world’s oldest prime minister if the opposition wins but he promised to hand over the reins once his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim is released from prison in June and able to take over. Analysts say the opposition faces an uphill battle due to party infighting, unfavorable electoral boundary changes and strong support for the government from rural ethnic Malays.
The opposition said it will set up royal bodies to reinvestigate the 1MDB scandal and probe other scandal-plagued government agencies such as the Federal Land Development Authority.
