THE Coalition for Clean and Fair Election (Bersih 2.0) welcomes the Malay rulers’ judgement that emergency is not necessary in combating Covid-19, as most Malaysians would agree.
The Muhyiddin government’s abortive self-coup is cynically driven by its fear of budget defeat, but proclamation of emergency provided under Article 150 (1) is only for security, economic life and public order, and does not cover prime minister’s job security.
Bersih 2.0 cautions the public that the political crisis is not over yet because:
(a) By proposing a proclamation of emergency to evade a budget defeat, as candidly revealed by Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa and Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Ali Biju, the prime minister has indirectly admitted his loss of majority.
(b) Parliamentarians must have the freedom to vote down the budget and if they choose to exercise their power to reject the government’s budget, it is their legitimate right under the federal constitution. As approving government’s budget is one of Westminster parliaments’ key functions, parliamentarians cannot be compelled to blindly approve the government’s budget.
(c) If the government’s budget is defeated, the prime minister must immediately table and get a motion of confidence passed for his government. Alternatively, the Parliament can pass a motion of confidence for another MP to be the new prime minister. If no motion of confidence can be passed for either the PM or any other MP, a confidence and supply agreement (CSA) involving parties representing a majority of parliamentarians will be needed to avoid a snap poll.
To ensure political stability without emasculating the Parliament on its budgetary power, we call upon the government and the opposition to reach a CSA. Our full position on CSA in the latest circumstance is as follows:
(a) CSA will allow the government’s budget to be improvised by the opposition parliamentarians and to be more prudent, effective and inclusive when no sector and community should be overlooked in our battle against Covid-19.
(b) CSA should serve the basis to end political enmity and machination through necessary reforms such as parliamentary reform, recall election, equal constituency allocation for all MPs and separation of public prosecution office from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).
(c) As his emergency scheme has met objections from even Umno and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) besides the opposition and civil society, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is weaker than before Friday when he moved his abortive self-coup. He must own up and seek a CSA with the official opposition.
(d) Unless he can assemble a majority with names and prove this in Parliament, parliamentary opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim must play the role as His Majesty's loyal opposition and pursue a CSA that ensures both a prudent, effective and inclusive Budget 2021 to combat Covid-19 and economic recession and a credible roadmap for parliamentary, electoral, political finance, institutional and prosecutorial reforms. – The Vibes, October 25, 2020
Bersih 2.0 is an electoral watchdog.
