LIM Kit Siang will be canvassing for incoming PKR president Anwar Ibrahim in the Port Dickson by-election next month.

The DAP veteran said the by-election will be “an important milestone” for Anwar to take his place in Parliament, and that he will be campaigning for him.

“I will return to Malaysia to campaign for Anwar to ensure Pakatan Harapan wins a resounding victory in the Port Dickson by-election on October 13, signalling popular support for a new Malaysia,” Lim said in a statement today.

The veteran DAP leader is currently on a tour of Australia and New Zealand to meet the diaspora there to gauge the support for the new government.

The Iskandar Puteri MP added Malaysians should be patient with the new administration to iron out the kinks and not be hasty to judge.

“We accept these criticisms, but urge Malaysians to have a big-picture and long-view mindset, as the New Malaysia we want to build is work-in-progress which will take more than one general election cycle to accomplish, as such a task will require 10 to 20 years to complete.”

He also said there will be many moves by the new government that will not go down well with the people but will be effective in the long run.

“In the coming months and years, difficulties, differences and even contradictions in Pakatan Harapan are bound to surface, but if we adopt the positive attitude that we want the Pakatan Harapan mission to build (a) new Malaysia to succeed, all these difficulties, differences and contradictions will be resolved in such a positive context.”

The Port Dickson by-election was called after PKR’s Danyal Balagopal Abdullah vacated the seat to make way for Anwar to make a come back to Parliament.

This is the first step for the former deputy prime minister to become nation’s eight prime minister after Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Pakatan Harapan parties have agreed that Anwar will replace Dr Mahathir after the 93-year old steps down.

Nomination for the by-election will be held next Saturday, and polling day is set for October 13. – September 23, 2018.