DAP prepared to consider PM's offer but won't be rubber stamp

 

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said his party is prepared to consider newly minted Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's offer for the opposition to join the National Recovery Council (NRC) and the Special Committee on Covid-19.

However, the Bagan MP said this was only if the prime minister genuinely wanted to involve the opposition and not to have them there simply to rubber-stamp any decisions made by his government.

"To save lives and livelihoods, the DAP is willing to consider the offer for the leadership of the opposition to be part of the National Recovery Council and the Special Committee on Covid-19 provided it is not token representation and a mere rubber-stamp for the government's views.

"The winner cannot take all and the loser should not lose all," Lim said in a statement.

Ismail, in his inaugural speech as the prime minister, had emphasised the concept of the "Malaysian Family" and urged government and opposition MPs to close ranks.

The Bera MP, who was sworn in as the third prime minister in three years since 2018, said the constant change of government was not benefitting the people.

Meanwhile, Upko president Wilfred Madius Tangau welcomed Ismail's "Malaysian Family" concept and invited the opposition's participation in the battle against Covid-19.

However, Wilfred counter-proposed a Federal-State Council (FSC) on Economic Recovery and Health in place of the NRC to improve coordination with the various states in the country.

Upko president Wilfred Madius Tangau

"The FSC should be chaired by him, with the parliamentary opposition leader, consisting of the same numbers of key ministers, senior opposition leaders and the menteris besar/chief ministers of all 13 states, further assisted by experts and professionals from society alongside top echelons of civil services, military and police forces.

"The FSC can function like a war cabinet which makes major decisions on economy and health, while the cabinet can implement those decisions and manage other issues.

"This would provide coordinated policies without blindspots and share political responsibility for any necessary but unpopular decisions across parties and governments, to protect the federal government from partisan potshots but without complications of a unity government," said the Tuaran MP.

Wilfred said the exclusion of states from the recovery committee will hamper the effectiveness in fighting Covid-19, especially with the epicentre of Covid-19 now shifting to other states.

"Malaysia's federalism is suffocatingly over-centralised. Decentralisation in both involving the state governments in national decisions (shared rule) and giving more room for states to make their own decisions (self-rule) is badly necessary," he said.

Meanwhile, Amanah deputy chief Salahuddin Ayub said the composition of Ismail's incoming cabinet will serve as a litmus test.

"Will the court cluster and those who have acted treasonously against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong be proposed as ministers? This will be the first test of the ninth prime minister's credibility. The people are watching," he said.

The court cluster refers to a group of Umno leaders who are facing graft trials, many of whom withdrew support for Muhyiddin Yassin as the prime minister, leading to the collapse of his government comprising PN, BN, GPS, PBS and independent MPs.

However, the Umno MPs returned to the coalition's fold after it was agreed that Ismail, who is the Umno vice-president, would take over as the prime minister. - Mkini