Opposition MPs welcome PM’s offers, but questions remain

 

William Leong and Tawfik Ismail welcomed Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s reform offers but wondered if the opposition would accept what was essentially Muhyiddin Yassin’s proposals.

PETALING JAYA: While many opposition MPs welcomed Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s reform proposals, not everyone was convinced by his offers, which mirror those made by his predecessor Muhyiddin Yassin in his final days in office.

In a statement this evening, Ismail said the Cabinet had agreed to a number of key reforms, which included, among others, a 10-year term limit for the prime minister, an anti-hopping law, the lowering of the voting age to 18 and the appointment of opposition members to the National Recovery Council.

DAP’s Charles Santiago said he welcomed the proposals that gelled with many of the opposition’s ideals, but said ultimately, “the devil is in the details”.

“It would be good to have some kind of timeline for the implementation of these reforms, so we can begin ticking them off as they are made,” the Klang MP told FMT.

He said it now fell upon MPs and civil society groups to press the government to make good on the offers and provide more information on when the changes could be expected.

“It’s a lot for the government to do, especially if it wants to do it before the next election, which may be as early as mid-2022.”

PKR’s William Leong said the offered reforms were common in progressive democracies, but noted their similarities to parts of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) manifesto.

“By agreeing to carry out these reforms, both the Muhyiddin and Ismail governments are confirming that PH was on the right track all along.”

Former Sungai Benut MP Tawfik Ismail also expressed scepticism at the prime minister’s offers.

First, he questioned Ismail for not kick-starting the parliamentary reforms with a confidence vote.

“If he did, then at least his efforts would carry some legitimacy,” he said.

Tawfik further asked Ismail if he was representing Umno or the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in carrying out the reforms.

“His party lost in the last general election. If he’s bringing PH’s election promises to Parliament, shouldn’t it be a PH government that sees the legislation through Parliament?”

On limiting a prime minister’s term, he said unlike the US where the president was elected by the populace and an electoral college, the prime minister’s position here was based on other considerations.

“Which Commonwealth country limits the prime minister’s term?” he further questioned.

Tawfik was also unsure if the opposition would accept what was essentially Muhyiddin’s proposals, which had already been rejected.

On the NGO front, the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) said it welcomed the announcement and would monitor developments closely.

Its executive director, Cynthia Gabriel, added that she hoped civil society would be given a place on the policy-shaping table.

“Some of us have done extensive research and work on these reforms,” she said. - FMT