Kadir Jasin: Harapan may face problems in BN-controlled Senate

Veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin anticipates that Pakatan Harapan could face challenges in the Senate, where it is under-represented compared with the BN.

“Harapan might face problems in the Dewan Negara because it is controlled by Umno and BN, along with parties that used to be part of it or are sympathetic towards it,” he said in a blog post today.

Offering a breakdown, Kadir calculated that Umno currently dominates a bulk of 30 seats in the 70-member Senate, where 24 spots are vacant.

Former BN parties make up most of the rest - Gerakan has two seats, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) parties have three seats, while Upko, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) each have a seat.

However, since leaving BN, GPS, Upko, PBS and LDP have vowed to work with the ruling Harapan government.  

At present, Harapan has just two seats in the Senate but is set to appoint eight senators later today.

Bills need to pass through both chambers of Parliament to become law.

Kadir predicted that the ruling coalition will, however, not face significant challenges in the Dewan Rakyat.

Along with its informal allies, Harapan has more than a simple majority, with 125 seats in the 222-member Lower House.

“With this, Harapan is not expected to face significant problems in passing laws that do not need a two-thirds majority,” he further analysed.

Robust discussion

Kadir hoped that the current crop of parliamentarians would make the House a centre for robust discussion, rather than the butt of jokes.

“It is okay to joke, laugh or slam the table once in a while, but we do not want a ‘circus’ like last night, where the debate resembled (comedy show) Raja Lawak. We want debates that are robust, intelligent and of high quality.

“We also want to see Parliament become more bipartisan towards important issues like institutional reform, transparency and accountability,” he said.

Yesterday, Umno and PAS MPs had jeered the swearing-in ceremony of Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof before staging a mass walkout.

Kadir, who is a Bersatu supreme council member, further hoped that Harapan lawmakers would hold the government accountable in Parliament.

“There should be a dichotomy between party and government among Harapan representatives.

“Those who are not ministers or deputy ministers need to be brave in defending the party stand and criticising the government if it veers from its promises and pledges,” he said. - Mkini