Political elites sabotaged development, says Amanah’s Dzulkefly

 

Dzulkelfly Ahmad said both blocs must work together for stability and reform, although it did not mean they were now friends.

KUALA LUMPUR: The stability brought by the political understanding (MoU) between the government and opposition is vital to keep the country going and for development plans to succeed, Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH-Kuala Selangor) told the Dewan Rakyat.

Dzulkefly, a former health minister, said the 11th Malaysia Plan had ended with the political upheaval which led to the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government, but the 12th Plan tabled yesterday failed to mention the need for political stability.

“The ones who sabotage and subvert development plans are the political elites. So the MoU is important to stabilise the landscape, lower the political temperature and prevent any more power grabs,” said Dzulkefly, who is Amanah’s director of strategy.

“As we all know, this 14th parliamentary sitting has seen an unprecedented level of politicking. Therefore, the MoU is a must, we do not have an option, whether on the opposition or government side.

“As Pasir Salak (Tajuddin Abdul Rahman) said recently, the current government might last for only 30 days without the MoU. So just imagine what the reality would be if there was no MoU,” he said when debating the 12th Malaysia Plan today.

He added that both blocs must work together for stability and reform, although it did not mean they were now friends. What was urgent was to legislate an anti-hopping law and a law to provide for recall elections to ensure the people’s mandate in every general election is protected and respected.

“We must determine this together. Whether it’s Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional or Muafakat Nasional, the government will not have the two-thirds majority on its own to pass an anti-hopping or recall elections bill.

“This (bill) is needed to respect the rakyat and prevent them from being betrayed halfway down the road,” he said. - FMT