Reform-minded MPs don’t need to hang around, says analyst

 The presence of estranged PKR MPs in the Dewan Rakyat is deemed to make little difference in passing reforms requiring only a simple majority.

Amid speculation that another MP from PKR may resign, Parti Bangsa Malaysia’s Larry Sng urged reform-minded MPs to remain in Parliament until dissolution. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

Many reform measures can be passed by a simple parliamentary majority, obviating any need for reform-minded MPs to remain in the Dewan Rakyat until Parliament is dissolved, says a political analyst.

Lau Zhe Wei.

Lau Zhe Wei of the International Islamic University of Malaysia said there would be little difference to the passage of legislation requiring a simple majority, whether estranged PKR MPs remain in the house, as long as DAP and Borneo-based parties continue to support the unity government.

He said these MPs would become even less essential if DAP could persuade the government to fulfil its institutional reform pledges.

“There is this convenient narrative of, “Oh, the more people, the better,” but in reality, it’s about headcount,” he told FMT. “It’s about voting in Parliament. So, in the current landscape, if you want to do reform, you can do it even without the Bersama-inclined people.”

Lau added that there was precedent for bipartisan support even on reforms requiring a two-thirds majority, citing the unanimous passage of the constitutional amendment lowering the voting age to 18 and introducing automatic voter registration.

“Now, if it is for securing a two-thirds majority for something neutral and not biased towards government or the opposition, they (opposition) are obliged to support it,” he added.

Lau was commenting on a call by Parti Bangsa Malaysia’s president, Julau MP Larry Sng, to reform-minded MPs to remain in Parliament until its dissolution. He said the government still needs a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat to pass constitutional amendments.

Sng’s call came after PKR’s Lee Chean Chung hinted that he would resign as Petaling Jaya MP after he and several others from PKR were barred from accessing the MyKhas portal, which manages parliamentary allocations.

Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri.

While resigning would send a strong message, Global Asia Consulting consultant Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri said that doing so would remove their voices from an institution where reforms must ultimately be debated and passed.

He said the MPs still had three assets at their disposal: their vote, their parliamentary platform and their political leverage.

“Staying as an MP does not mean remaining silent. They can set clear targets, demand timelines and publicly hold the government accountable,” he said. “If you believe the system needs reform, why leave the system before exhausting your ability to change it?”

He acknowledged, however, that political pressure alone would not guarantee that the government would deliver.

“Governments act when the political cost of ignoring reform becomes greater than the cost of implementing it. Therefore, reform-minded MPs need to turn individual frustration into collective parliamentary pressure,” he added.

“Ultimately, the question is not simply whether the government can be pressured. It is whether reform-minded MPs have enough unity, discipline and political courage to sustain that pressure.” - FMT