DAP's Loke moots ceasefire to ensure political stability

As the government struggles to maintain its tenuous grip on power, DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke has proposed that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin hold talks with all political parties represented in the Dewan Rakyat to find ways to ensure political stability.

Loke said this would boost the confidence of businesses and investors, while allowing the government to focus on tackling the Covid-19 pandemic and revive the economy.

Such a meeting would also avoid the risky and expensive proposition of calling for a snap election amid the pandemic.

“If Muhyiddin has the courage or magnanimity, he should at least gather all political leaders to sit down for a discussion... see if we can find a formula, a consensus, where we temporarily set aside politics and focus on how we face the pandemic and run the country,” Loke added.

The former transport minister said this at a forum on Sunday that was broadcast live on Facebook, but he went on to say that this was his personal opinion and did not reflect the party’s stance.

At the forum, he outlined several possible outcomes of yesterday’s vote on the Supply (Reallocation of Appropriated Expenditure) Bill 2020, including the possibility that the bill would not be passed and as a result, Muhyiddin would be forced to step down.

If a successor with the majority support of MPs could not be found, a snap election would have to be called, Loke said.

For the record, the bill was ultimately passed in the Dewan Rakyat by a narrow margin of 111 votes in favour versus 106 against. Five MPs were absent during the vote.

Meanwhile, Loke said the mooted discussions would not necessarily lead to the formation of a new government coalition, and conceded that such a coalition would be untenable given Muhyiddin’s past with Pakatan Harapan.

Instead, subject to conditions to be worked out in the meeting, political parties may cooperate with the government without becoming a part of the ruling coalition.

He said this was the norm in democratic countries and cited New Zealand as an example, where the New Zealand Green Party and its eight MPs agreed to support the Labour-NZ First coalition in exchange for some concessions.

“Although we do not accept this government, we should at least ensure that the government keeps functioning because the biggest problem now is the lack of political stability that is causing a host of other problems,” the Seremban MP added. - Mkini