PAKATAN Harapan has become a victim of its own election manifesto, as certain promises are easier said than fulfilled, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad told a law conference today.

He reiterated that the ruling coalition had not expected to win the 14th general election last year and has found that pledges, especially those involving constitutional amendments, were difficult to fulfil.

“We put in tough things in the manifesto so that if we lose, the government would be in a quandary,” Malaysiakini quoted the prime minister as saying, referring to the previous government under Barisan Nasional (BN).

“But now, we are the government. We are victims of our own manifesto,” Dr Mahathir added when delivering a speech at the Lawasia conference in Petaling Jaya today.

He said there were “bad and draconian laws” that PH wanted to repeal but some of them required the support of two-thirds of MPs in the Dewan Rakyat, which PH on its own did not have.

As a result, Putrajaya was “stuck with old laws”, he said.

He also acknowledged that people are impatient but it was not possible for some changes to take place immediately.

“Now we are being criticised for not keeping our promises. While it is easy to make promises during elections, it is not so easy to implement them if you win,” he said.

Dr Mahathir cited the Anti-Fake News Act passed by BN a month before GE14 last year, as one law that PH wanted to repeal. – October 4, 2019.