Pejuang, Warisan and Muda were not keen on MoU, says Loke

 

Loke Siew Fook says Ismail Sabri Yaakob wants Ahmad Maslan as deputy speaker but Bersatu MPs are not agreeable and the prime minister cannot do as he pleases.

PETALING JAYA: Pejuang, Warisan and Muda were not included in the MoU between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and the government because they did not seem keen on signing it.

PH chief whip Loke Siew Fook said the three parties had been informed of the deal but did not seem to be interested.

“Perhaps they were not confident that the government would agree to the reforms. Now that the MoU is public, they can probably discuss another MoU with the government,” he said.

The Seremban MP further said Cabinet minister Annuar Musa has hinted that the government was willing to discuss with them.

“I am made to understand that Muda’s Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman would have no problems signing the MoU,” he added.

He had been asked why the three parties were left out during a Facebook talk called New Political Landscape: Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). He was interviewed by DAP Bandar Utama assemblyman Jamaliah Jamaluddin.

Loke, however, pointed out that the MoU did not give the government free rein to do as it pleased.

He pointed to the appointment of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s brother Zamri as chairman of the National Farmers Organisation (NAFAS) as a case in point.

“They need to be accountable for their actions. Our obligation is whatever is agreed in the MoU, we will help them pass the budget,” he said.

“It is not true that whatever the government does, we have to be jointly responsible,” he added, saying the opposition will continue to criticise anything that is not in the MoU.

These, he said, included reforms and they would also object to any bill or action that does not benefit the country.

On the deputy speaker’s post that was vacated by Umno’s Azalina Othman Said, Loke said the opposition had come to understand that Bersatu MPs were against the appointment of Umno’s Ahmad Maslan as the replacement.

“There are internal conflicts within the government. The prime minister wants Ahmad but there are some Bersatu MPs who disagree.

“It shows that in this day and age, the prime minister cannot appoint whoever he wants,” Loke added.

He went on to explain that the MoU was “not a long-term understanding” but only until elections are called. The MoU is also limited to public health and economy.

“It is an ad-hoc arrangement. In the general election, we will fight them.”

He further explained that the MoU will not hold up in court as it is only a political understanding.

However, he said the rakyat can be the judge. “Any party that does not carry out what was agreed in the MoU, loses support. Credibility will be affected if any party does not fulfil the conditions,” Loke explained.

“We need an understanding to work together. But we are still the opposition bloc,” he said. - FMT