MP: Anti-hopping, funding, Undi18 among reform deals Harapan can pursue

 

Amid a debate on whether Pakatan Harapan should pursue a confidence and supply deal with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's government, Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said there are a number of areas which the opposition coalition can consider.

The PKR lawmaker noted that many have raised questions about what should be included in the deal on reform for stability with the current government.

Nik Nazmi (above) said apart from reforms to ensure parliamentary independence, other aspects that can also be addressed include anti-hopping laws, political funding and Undi18.

"One of these is the need to restore faith among Malaysians in our political system after the continuous political crises from February 2020 until today. The issue of party-hopping must be addressed.

"We must recognise that at present, our electoral system does not distinguish a vote for a candidate or political party," he said in a statement.

Another area to consider, Nik Nazmi added, is political funding.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob

He said: "BN did try to do something during the Najib Abdul Razak era, but it did not have the political credibility to do so.

"The Harapan (government) initiated some studies into it, particularly in terms of transparency and limits in funding, although Dr Mahathir Mohamad was resistant to the idea of public funding for political parties.

"This is something that the current prime minister can address by working together with all the major political parties, as it is the problem of unregulated political funding and involvement in businesses that have plagued our politics for so long."

Nik Nazmi added that the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18 (Undi18), which was already approved by Parliament during the Harapan government in 2019, should be implemented as soon as possible.

"When I raised this with the PN government, it was stated that Undi18 could be implemented in the middle of 2021, but the authorities continue to drag their feet.

"While it is understandable that automatic registration takes time, simply lowering voter registration to 18 can be done without much delay," Nik Nazmi said.

Ismail Sabri met with Harapan's top leaders on Aug 25 to discuss potential reforms, although nothing concrete has been announced till now. 

DAP's Damansara MP Tony Pua said the opposition was prepared for a confidence and supply agreement, although PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said it was still too early to make such a move. - Mkini