Citizens launch non-partisan group #KamiMalaysia, call for nine reforms

 

As the country prepares for its ninth prime minister, a new movement has been launched to amplify the voices of ordinary citizens.

Coming together as #KamiMalaysia, the group aims to speak out for Malaysians on important issues affecting them such as the Covid-19 pandemic, economic recession and political party failures.

“#KamiMalaysia has initiated a movement that consists of Malaysians from various races and religions, cutting across various political beliefs and ideologies, to demand and offer a solution to the current problem for the benefit of all.

“The demand and solution for a political overhaul sprung from a collective of activists, academia, societal grassroots, business and corporate leaders, civil society, youths, society leaders, ulamas and other religious leaders,” said #KamiMalaysia spokesperson and Idris Association chairperson M Nizam Mahshar during a press conference yesterday.

The 42 endorsers include Third World Network executive director Chee Yoke Ling, Concerned Lawyers for Justice co-founder Aidil Khalid, Gerakan Belia 4B Malaysia acting president Fahami Ashrof Badarudin and Malaysia Journalism Teachers Society (Mits) president Ahmad Murad Merican, among others.

Murad said the platform will be used as a tool to create public awareness.

“This is a platform to raise awareness involving the ideas of Malaysians as well as to the possibilities that are beyond expectations and conventional thinking.

“We have to open our minds to different ways of governing a country,” he added.

Citing the country’s political instability, #KamiMalaysia demanded a halt to excessive politicking and for the upcoming prime minister to appoint a small cabinet with only critical portfolios. 

The cabinet should comprise ministers with an unblemished record appointed for their capabilities and merit, it added.

The group also demanded that a Special National Emergency Recovery Council be enacted to address the Covid-19 crisis and other related impacts of the pandemic on the nation.

“We propose that the members of this council must not be from the leadership of political parties nor members of the Dewan Rakyat, but instead it must be completely formed by authoritative figures, technocrats, professionals, academicians, subject matter experts, civil society leaders, and include senior government officers from related sectors especially from the Health Ministry.

“We are confident that with a council free of politicians, it will be more focused, professional and bring our nation out of the chaos from the very distracting and disruptive political power plays that are plaguing us today,” Nizam said. 

Other demands the group called for include:

• A one-year political moratorium observed by all political parties. 
• Parliament and the judiciary, security, anti-corruption, and the Council of Rulers be safeguarded as effective checks and balances for the formulation and implementation of impartial policies.
• All available resources devoted to rescuing the poor and marginalised, containing the spread of Covid-19, and mobilising economic recovery, particularly by rescuing small and medium-sized enterprises at risk of bankruptcy and those losing their jobs and income.
• Government efforts and initiatives to be founded on the fundamental principles of integrity, transparency, effective service delivery to citizens, and appropriate and comprehensive communication.
• Citizens to elect moral leaders who will ensure that the elected government enjoys the support of the Constitution and the people.
• Citizens to courageously embrace the new Malaysia and unshackle themselves from the archaic political leadership ensconced in political culture, to rise up and courageously choose new politics based on citizen consensus and mutually agreed short, medium, and long-term agendas for the nation's renewal.
• A clear, comprehensive, and trustworthy economic recovery plan following Covid-19 that incorporates the views of all Malaysians. 
• Citizens to mobilise for a comprehensive political overhaul and renewal to ensure that the country's future leadership is credible, equipped with recognised skills and knowledge, and has development and policymaking experience. 

- Mkini