CONCERNED about the unflattering intra-party drama and dirty linen being aired in public by the new Pakatan Harapan government?

Well, get used to it, said PH Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, as this will be the norm for an administration bent on being honest and upfront when dealing with problems.

There will be no more of the old muzzling of divergent opinions, fawning silence and sweeping problems under the rug, which was the Barisan Nasional way of doing things, said the Setiawangsa MP.

“It was that culture that allowed government debt to swell to RM1 trillion and bred the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

“And now, Malaysians have to pay for it,” Nik Nazmi said, commenting on the revelation by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng that the ministry had to fork out almost RM7 billion to bail out 1MDB.

He said Malaysians must allow these voices to be heard, pointing out that in a mature democracy, differing opinions between leaders of the same party are to be expected.

Nik Nazmi was explaining the PH work culture to The Malaysian Insight as PH politicians came under fire recently for supposedly speaking out of turn.

Two weeks ago, Nik Nazmi’s colleague in PKR, Rafizi Ramli, was slammed by PH supporters for criticising Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s cabinet appointments.

Rafizi alleged that the appointments for the home, defence and finance portfolios were not done in consultation with PH component PKR.

Nik Nazmi defended Rafizi’s right to voice his displeasure, saying the latter was attempting ensure that the cabinet-appointment process was done through consensus.

“There has to be consultation and consensus-building,” Nik Nazmi said of Rafizi’s criticism.

“People say there are proper channels (for airing criticism), but sometimes, these proper channels have already been used,” he said, adding that PH leaders and supporters should not be sensitive about it.

Lim was criticised last week for announcing that the country owed creditors a total of RM1 trillion in government debt, guarantees and public-private-sector deals.

This is far larger than the RM686.8 billion that the previous BN administration had claimed as being the country’s official debt.

Former prime minister Najib Razak has accused Lim of damaging investor confidence, but the latter argued that he is committed to being fully transparent about the country’s problems.

This blunt honesty, especially when it comes to public issues, is the hallmark of state PH governments, said Nik Nazmi, a former executive councillor in Selangor.

It has also been a long-standing practice in the Selangor PH administration to welcome criticism as a way of keeping the government accountable.

“In the Selangor assembly, the most vociferous criticism of the government would come from its backbenchers, and in the (state assembly) select committees.

“And, the Selangor model has worked. We have won more seats in the assembly since 2008.” – May 28, 2018.