Kuala Lampur, July 31 -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Harapan have often been accused of breaking their promises.

Some of this criticism is justified. Political leaders who campaign on ambitious manifestos must accept scrutiny when they enter government and discover that their promises are difficult, delayed or impossible to implement.

Yet not every unfulfilled promise is necessarily an act of betrayal.

There is a difference between abandoning a promise, adjusting it because circumstances have changed, and struggling to honour its underlying purpose through other means.

Malaysians should learn to distinguish between the three.

An opposition party campaigns without having complete access to the Treasury's books,...