Bersih to new PM: Reforms will ensure stability

 

Bersih has urged the new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to reach out to the opposition and institute meaningful reforms in order to ensure the stability of his government.

Ismail is supported by 114 MPs, barely above the 111-threshold needed for a simple majority.

In a statement today, Bersih said Ismail can learn from the failures of his predecessor repeatedly suspended Parliament to stifle his political opponents and instead reach out to the opposition for a confidence and supply agreement (CSA) that would be made public.

"We urge the opposition to seriously consider any overtures by Ismail and enter into negotiations for CSAs that pivot on major governance and institutional reforms.

"If Harapan is able to negotiate for some of these reforms, they would have fulfilled some of the promises they made in their last election manifesto, even as the opposition," said Bersih.

Bersih said Ismail can refer to its "10-point cross-party peace plan" proposed on Aug 16 for reform ideas, which, among others, included term limit for prime minister, reforming the Attorney-General's Chambers to prevent selective prosecution, implement "Undi 18", legislating "recall election" laws to prevent the defection of lawmakers and legislating a fixed-term for Parliament.

The group said the prime minister should also realise that his government will not be stable nor effective with the support of the 13 state governments of which only five are controlled by Umno.

"His government must break free from over-centralisation and share policymaking power with the states. Decentralisation should be part of the CSAs," said Bersih.

Bersih said their proposed reforms will benefit all political parties by levelling the playing field and allowing parties to compete fairly on ideas and politicians.

"It is incumbent on all political parties and MPs to come together at such times of health, economic and political crises, and rise above partisan politics to forge a path to political stability that strengthens parliamentary democracy and makes politics work for the rakyat," he said.

Meanwhile, the Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham) urged Ismail and the incoming cabinet to pursue a reform agenda with a multi-stakeholder approach, ensuring parliamentary and democratic reforms.

"We wish to remind the socio-development commitments made by Malaysia at the national and international levels, including the National Economic Recovery Plan, Shared Prosperity Vision 2030, National Unity Blueprint 2021-2030 and the Voluntary National Report (VNR) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), just to name a few.

"Equally, we urge for the need to strengthen and protect the human rights of everyone as Malaysia pledges in different platforms including the National Human Rights Action Plan and UN Human Rights Council for the membership 2022-2024. 

"This includes the establishment of the long-overdue Independent Police Complaints of Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)," said Proham in a statement today. - Mkini