THE public should criticise the government immediately if they feel it is making any errors, said Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah. 

She said public dissent had already surfaced, such as over the goods and services tax (GST), but the voices should be louder, said Maria. 

“I don’t think there is a time frame for criticism. If you think things are not right, you should say it now,” she said at a forum titled Importance of a Strong Opposition for a Vibrant Democracy in Kuala Lumpur today. 

Maria also said that the public does not have to wait until the end of Pakatan Harapan’s 100 days in power as that would be too late. 

The former Bersih 2.0 chairman also said she was aware of public concern over whether Pakatan would be able to deliver on it pledges within the set time frame. 

“I think the expecatation is very high because we have the space to change and we want to change now. 

“However, these changes take time because we are talking about a system deep-seated in corruption,” Maria said on the sidelines of the forum. 

The PH government is trying to fulfil 10 policy pledges within 100 days as stated in its election manifesto.

However, certain parties, such as Umno veteran Rafidah Aziz, had advised PH to discard the 100-day time frame, saying it was not practical.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad also said it would take more than 100 days for PH to fulfil the 10 promises as the promises were made before the coalition was fully aware of problems in the government system.

Maria said that discussions about major issues should take place before parliament convenes on July 16. 

“It is the time for us to think about what kind of reforms we want and for parliamentarians as well as political parties to start thinking about them,” she said. – June 9, 2018.