LETTER | CSA on reforms necessary for more meaningful independence

LETTER | This year Merdeka is celebrated under a slightly newer political landscape with the appointment of Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the new prime minister. He then brought up the concept of Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) and has also met the leaders of the opposition parties, after which a joint statement on political ceasefire was issued.

Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM) welcomes the new cooperation between the political players and stresses that the cooperation must be based on the implementation of institutional reforms. We believe the following five points should be considered by both the governing and opposition parties:

First, with the incumbent only having a small majority of 114 out of 220 members of the Dewan Rakyat, we believe a confidence and supply agreement (CSA) is necessary to ensure lasting political peace.

The CSA would ensure the Ismail Sabri government would not be blackmailed by its own members of Parliament (MPs) as a consequence of its slim majority, which many believe is one of the reasons why the previous Muhyiddin Yassin government was underperforming and was so ineffective.

In exchange for opposition support, the government in turn should promise equal treatment of MPs and tolerance of governance critics. The CSA should include equal funding for all MPs, priorities of motion for no confidence in Dewan Rakyat and respect for civil liberties.

Second, the policy-making process must be widened with more checks and balances, and with multiple points of entry for experts and stakeholders. To this end, we believe more Parliamentary Special Select Committees (PSSC) should be established. We also support the call by UPKO to set up a Federal State Council (FSC) on economic and health recovery.

Third, reforming the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Inland Revenue Board (IRB) is necessary to end selective prosecution and political witch hunts.

Several Umno leaders including its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki have made the call to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the abuse of power under Tommy Thomas and to put an end to political persecution. The prime minister has reportedly agreed to the suggestion.

While GBM commends the thought behind this call, we are of the opinion that the proposed RCI should not limit its scope of investigation to the 22 months tenure of Tommy Thomas as AG, which is ultimately a drop in the bucket in the long history of the use of AGC as a political tool. We propose that the RCI should be covering the whole AGC for the past decade or two and to include other agencies such as MACC and IRB as well.

Fourth, on the basis of the above, the CSA should guarantee the government’s term for at least 18 months or even full term, which could be enough for the government to put down the number of Covid-19 cases and create an adequate environment to hold the 15th general election (GE15).

Fifth, setting a pre-fixed election date for GE15 with a level playing field, Undi18, automatic voter registration, extensive absentee voting facilities and free airtime on radio and TV for all candidates.

We wish everyone a Happy Merdeka Day and we hope the political players could use the remaining parliamentary term to enact substantial reforms which will pave the way for a more meaningful independence for Malaysia.

BADLISHAH SHAM BAHARIN is Gabungan Tindak Malaysia chairperson.

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