Khairy, Shahril link slow reforms to PH’s earlier ‘trauma’ in govt

 

Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan discussed Bersih’s ‘D’ grade for the unity government’s performance in its first two years in power. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

Two former Umno leaders suggested that the unity government’s slow pace of reforms, which contributed to the “D” grade it received from Bersih, is likely due to the “trauma” Pakatan Harapan experienced during its first stint in government.

Former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin agreed with co-host Shahril Hamdan on their latest episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast that one of the reasons for the fall of the PH government after 22 months in Putrajaya was that it rushed through with reforms.

“Perhaps this is an ‘overboard’ response to that trauma. Have you thought of that as a reason?” Shahril, a former Umno information chief, said.

Khairy said this is possible, adding that there were “deep state elements” that rejected PH’s reforms which eventually led to the Sheraton Move in February 2022.

The former health minister said there were several reforms pushed by PH in 2019 which were “wrong in terms of its sequencing, based on priority”.

“PH should have pushed for reforms that cannot be manipulated based on sensitivities surrounding race, religion and royalty (3R),” he said, citing ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the Rome Statute as examples.

He said such reforms became ammunition for the government’s critics and gave the impression that the government then was anti-Malay and anti-monarchy.

On the flip side, he said, the reforms yet to be implemented as pointed out by Bersih in its grading of the government, such as on constituency development funding, limiting the prime minister’s term, and equal allocations for opposition MPs, are “quite safe”.

Shahril added: “This is as compared to PH’s ‘mistakes’ in their first stint, have no impact on the government’s power or domestic political power.”

Last week, Bersih chairman Faisal Abdul Aziz said the unity government’s grade reflected its limited progress in carrying out reforms as well as the gap between its rhetoric and action.

‘Damage done’

Khairy said the “damage was already done” after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim revealed in the Dewan Rakyat last week that several firms had borne 70% to 80% of his working trips to five countries.

He claimed that Anwar had a “pathological need to impress” and had not explained the details in the Dewan Rakyat.

“The point he wanted to convey was that the government was being cost-effective, but (what he said instead) created many problems and questions,” he said.

He said the matter was left to government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil to clarify the following day, but “by then the damage was done” even though there was a logical explanation. - FMT