KUALA LUMPUR – The cabinet has agreed to limit the term of the prime minister to 10 years, introduce an anti-hopping law and give greater recognition to the opposition, among a slew of reforms it vows to implement.
In a statement today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the “parliamentary and government transformation” is aimed at ensuring political stability in the government’s efforts to address the Covid-19 crisis and restore the ailing economy.
However, Ismail Sabri did not provide a time frame on when all the reforms are expected to be carried out.
He said these efforts are in line with the advice of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and the Malay rulers on the importance of a stable and functional government in times of crisis.
The prime minister listed seven reforms as part of the transformation, namely:
- tabling an anti-hopping bill in Parliament;
- implementing Undi18 to lower the eligible voting age from 21 to 18 in the near future, and tabling relevant amendments to the federal constitution in Parliament;
- amending the constitution to limit the tenure of the prime minister to 10 years;
- ensuring balanced representation from among government and opposition MPs in parliamentary Special Select Committees;
- ensuring all bills to be presented in Parliament, including the federal Budget, are negotiated and agreed to by all parties;
- including opposition MPs in the National Recovery Council to obtain their views and recommendations; and,
- providing the opposition leader with remuneration and facilities enjoyed by ministers.
“The government is of the opinion that the main focus and priority of all parties at this moment is to ensure political and administrative stability in combating Covid-19 and recovering the economy,” Ismail Sabri said.
“These offers are also aimed at creating a new political landscape by implementing transformations and reforms in the conduct of governance, especially by empowering the role of the Parliament as an institution.
“At the same time, the government is committed to introducing even more transformations from time to time,” he said.
Ismail Sabri stressed that the reforms embody good values and consensus that go beyond religious, racial and cultural lines.
“They are also in line with the spirit of upholding the federal constitution as the supreme law of the land.”
Prior to Ismail Sabri’s appointment as the country’s ninth prime minister last month, the Agong had decreed that whoever he appoints should work to ensure cooperation with the opposition, in light of the worsening Covid-19 situation.
Ismail Sabri was appointed after Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin resigned from his post following the withdrawal of support for his leadership by a number of MPs, effectively causing him to lose the confidence of the Dewan Rakyat. – The Vibes, September 10, 2021
