KOTA KINABALU: The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) yesterday said it will continue to play an active role within the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, and this includes engaging the government on issues that are close to the people’s heart.
Its president Datuk Liew Vui Keong, in noting the recent trend where certain issues highlighted by the party’s leaders have drawn criticisms from certain quarters, said the party would continue to speak up and become the conscience of the people and the nation.
“In the past few weeks whenever LDP leaders made comments, we received criticisms … Many quarters have been extremely jittery and to some point, paranoid,” he said.
“We are speaking out on the issues and views highlighted by the people, these are the views of the people, not the LDP alone.
The views, opinions and comments expressed by LDP leaders in the party’s 26 divisional AGMs reflect the voices of the people, he said.
“We are just speaking up on the views raised by the people throughout the 26 divisions in Sabah. These are the views which are common in the minds, heart and soul of the people, not strictly LDP’s alone,” he said.
“So we pick up what the people say and make it into our policy speech during the divisional AGM. This is a healthy progress for democracy in the country.”
“We are into the era where the views of the people are the most important for the government, and the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has made it very clear with its ‘People First, Performance Now’ agenda,” he said when closing the Kepayan and Moyog divisions joint annual general meeting (AGM) here yesterday.
Liew noted that many of the divisional chairmen and guests of honour had picked up and spoken on many issues concerning the people and the Government without fear or favour.
“Many of you spoke on the illegal immigrants, illegal workers, unemployment in the country, the regional imbalances between east and Peninsular Malaysia, poverty, the rising living costs and petrol, the imposition of foreign workers’ levy, the Napoleons in Government that have caused chaos in places like Kudat, the money laundering case and the many corruption cases in the country among others,” he said when addressing the delegates.
“This is an important progress in the development of democracy where the voices of the people must be translated and heard by the Government,” he said.
“Our conscience is clear and we will continue to speak when the Government crosses the line and when it fails to deliver its promises to the people.”