Iran, Ukraine, trade wars: Bersatu MP explains CSA support, wants full terms made public

 

PARLIAMENT | With the world beset by upheavals, from armed conflicts to escalating trade tensions, Bersatu lawmakers believed they had little choice but to strike an agreement with the government in the interest of the people, according to Radzi Jidin (PN-Putrajaya).

The confidence and supply agreement (CSA), signed by six Bersatu MPs, six independent MPs, and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, is aimed at ensuring political stability by securing their support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration until the end of the parliamentary term. This includes backing the passage of Budget 2027.

However, the agreement has drawn criticism, most notably from PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who likened it to the Dajjal.

In Islam, the Dajjal is a figure associated with deception and leading people astray from their faith, who is said to emerge towards the end of the world. Likening the CSA to the Dajjal therefore casts the agreement as fundamentally evil and corrupting.

Against this backdrop of world events, Radzi urged the government to make the CSA's full terms public, saying this would allow the agreement to be scrutinised.

“We are in a political situation, in a state where the world is at war - the Iran war, the Ukraine war, (and) trade wars.

“In this situation, we felt that with less than a year left before a general election, at least for the sake of the nation’s economy and the rakyat, we should sign the CSA,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.

The Bersatu MP was interjecting during Sany Hamzan’s (Harapan-Hulu Langat) committee-stage debate on Budget 2027.

Sany initially referred to Hadi’s remarks, later explaining that he was “just trying to provoke Putrajaya (Radzi)”, prompting the latter’s interjection.

Under the CSA, the government must table two constitutional amendments: one to limit the prime minister’s tenure and another to separate the roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor.

Dajjal jibe draws rebukes

Hadi’s remarks have drawn criticism from various quarters, including Anwar’s political secretary Kamil Abdul Munim, who pointed to PAS’ own political history, noting that the party was part of the Ismail Sabri Yaakob government that signed a similar memorandum of understanding with Pakatan Harapan in 2021.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said, meanwhile, questioned whether Hadi knew when Judgement Day would arrive, challenging him to explain his choice of words and cautioning against extreme rhetoric in political disagreements.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang (centre) on nomination day for the Malacca election on Oct 31

Malacca Pakatan Harapan chairperson Adly Zahari also challenged Hadi to produce evidence to substantiate his criticism of the agreement.

“We respect your position as a religious and political leader. As such, we hope this debate will be conducted with the level of rigour it deserves.

“To debate a political agreement, I think it is sufficient to examine the document first before turning to end-of-the-world narratives,” he reportedly told a press conference in Malacca. - Mkini