Civil society groups push for eight-reform pact involving all 218 MPs

 The groups say a cross-party agreement is needed to complete key reforms before the 15th Parliament is dissolved.

A group of 47 civil society organisations has suggested eight reforms to prevent abuse of power and ensure a level playing field for political parties, including those that may eventually sit in the opposition after GE16. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

A group of 47 civil society organisations has called for a cross-party agreement involving all 218 sitting MPs to complete eight key institutional reforms before Parliament is dissolved.

The eight proposed reforms are a 10-year limit on the prime minister’s tenure, separation of the attorney-general and public prosecutor’s roles, a Freedom of Information Act, an Ombudsman Act, an Equitable Constituency Development Fund Act, a Political Financing Act, an Election Commission answerable to Parliament, and a three-month notice period for early dissolution of Parliament.

In a joint statement today, they said the reforms would prevent abuse of power and ensure a level playing field for political parties, including those that may eventually sit in the opposition.

They also said the agreement would help consolidate parliamentary democracy before and after the 16th general election (GE16), while restoring public and international confidence in Malaysia’s political stability and accountability.

The statement was initiated by Bersih, C4 Center, Projek Sama, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, Ikram Malaysia and Rasuah Busters.

They said the proposed agreement should address the legitimate interests of both the government and opposition and not be limited to conditional access to constituency development funds.

The organisations said while they welcomed the confidence and supply agreement (CSA) signed on Oct 29 between the government and 13 MPs, they described the agreement as narrow and transactional, saying equitable constituency development funding remained a matter for negotiation rather than a legal entitlement.

The groups also urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to reach out directly to Perikatan Nasional’s top leadership to secure the deal.

“As Anwar enters the last year of his term, this is his moment as a statesman to unite all parties to introduce far-reaching changes.

“It is also a golden opportunity for PN to propose a comprehensive deal to the Madani government to show its visionary leadership and democratic commitment for Malaysia after GE16.”

They also backed law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said’s call for PN to enter a CSA with the government but said its scope should be widened to cover the opposition’s legitimate interests.

The groups said PN was in a stronger position to demand a comprehensive deal and urged its leadership to demonstrate its commitment to democracy and readiness to lead the country after GE16.

They also proposed that if the government and opposition could not agree to let the current Parliament serve its full term until Dec 18, 2027, the prime minister should seek royal assent for an early dissolution three months before that date.

The organisations said this would give the Election Commission, political parties and the public ample time to prepare for the next general election. - FMT