LETTER | Can bipartisanship still work in Malaysia?

LETTER | The meeting between Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin will surely raise questions among several quarters on their motives as they are now political rivals.

Syed Saddiq’s (above) emphasis on his firm support of bipartisanship has triggered me to ask, can bipartisanship still work in Malaysia? 

As controversial as former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was, we cannot deny his contribution to initiating bipartisan cooperation between the government and the opposition for the first time in Malaysian history.

Not only it has stopped the political fight between the ruling party and the opposition since Sheraton Move to secure safe and stable passage for the government such as during the tabling of Budget 2022 and the 12th Malaysian Plan, but it has also brought easier reform processes such as the passing of Anti-Hopping and Anti-Sexual Harassment Acts.

It has also granted the opposition more access to information, with them forming a special committee to meet Ismail Sabri every month to know about the governmental progress in key reforms outlined in the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed.

Nevertheless, I don’t think such cooperation will continue in Anwar Ibrahim’s administration. First of all, Anwar’s ruling bloc contains 148 Dewan Rakyat seats, which is a two-thirds majority.

Therefore, in many key constitutional amendments that trigger reforms, Anwar will not need support from the opposition. All he needs to do is just to make sure that everyone in the ruling party is on the same page with him.

Besides, the existence of BN in Anwar’s ruling party will further block any possible cooperation between the current government and the opposition formed by Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Even though BN and PN had worked together in the two previous administrations, their relationship has come to an end when Umno chose to split up with Bersatu and attempted to annex it.

Now, given the current situation, Umno might be the one being annexed by Bersatu if both the Malay nationalist parties cooperate. Though, if this happens, PN will only act as the opposition in the cooperation pact, it still increases the chances for Bersatu to destroy Umno as they work closer to each other.

Bipartisan cooperation is much needed when the government holds a weak majority, such as Muhyiddin and Ismail Sabri administrations.

However, I won’t support bipartisan cooperation when the government has a two-thirds Dewan Rakyat majority, like the current Anwar administration, as it weakens the role of the opposition.

When Pakatan Harapan was the opposition during Ismail Sabri’s tenure, I observed that their voices become fragile and weak after signing MOU, and they missed out on various big issues that they should have pointed out.

When the current government holds such a strong majority, it is essential to also have a strong opposition to ensure the check-and-balance process. 

To date, Anwar’s administration has proposed various reform agendas such as the cutting down of special lottery draws, planning of targeted subsidies, and his rejection of the gift-giving culture among civil servants.

Let’s anticipate both strong government and opposition when Parliament sitting resumes on Dec 19.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.