KUALA LUMPUR – DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has expressed the opposition party’s willingness to take up the offer by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to be part of the National Recovery Council and the Special Committee on Covid-19.
In a series of tweets, the Bagan MP said the party’s representation in both bodies is provided that it is not a token representation and a mere rubber stamp for the government’s views.
“The winner cannot take all and the loser should not lose all,” he tweeted in response to Ismail Sabri’s maiden speech as prime minister today.
To save lives and livelihoods, DAP is willing to consider the offer for the leadership of the opposition to be part of the National Recovery Council & the Special Committee on Covid-19 provided it is not token representation & a mere rubber-stamp for the government's views.
— Lim Guan Eng (@guanenglim) August 22, 2021
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Muda co-founder Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman indicated that he was willing to cooperate with Ismail Sabri on implementing the Undi18 initiative.
“In the PM's speech, he promised to be with the youth,” the Muar MP said on Twitter.
“You were with us sir on #Undi18 when you were leader of the opposition.”
He said the initiative was meant to be implemented two months ago, but the Perikatan Nasional government had broken its promises on the matter.
“This is a historic bipartisan agreement,” Syed Saadiq said.
“Let’s do this together.”
Dalam ucapan YAB PM, dia berjanji akan bersama anak muda.
— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) August 22, 2021
You were with us sir on #UNDI18 when you were leader of opposition.
UNDI18 patut dikuatkuasakan 2 bulan lepas tetapi Perikatan Nasional mungkir janji.
This is a historic bipartisan agreement.
Let’s do this together. pic.twitter.com/SRFre49Nuu
Meanwhile, Pengerang MP Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said welcomed Ismail Sabri’s speech, applauding him for attempting to lower the “temperature” in the Dewan Rakyat.
“The invitation to the opposition to join the National Recovery Council and the Special Committee to Manage Covid-19 are good for the coming sitting in September,” the Umno lawmaker and deputy Dewan Rakyat speaker said in a statement.
“I pray all parties will stand down and walk the talk on wanting to move on from the political crisis for the sake of the nation.”
While some opposition leaders have appeared optimistic about Ismail Sabri's offer, others are more skeptical.
Klang MP Charles Santiago said while the offer was worth considering, Ismail Sabri must give his conditions for the proposal.
“This shouldn’t be a public relations exercise. This should be done based on concrete, meaningful exchange between the government and opposition,” he said, as quoted by Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail noted past experiences in working with a government committee, which he suggested was superficial.
According to FMT, Saifuddin dismissed the offer as “a PR exercise to show they are trying to reach out and accommodate the opposition’s views”.
“I made special requests for daily granular data on Covid-19 and they failed to provide it even after six or seven months. It’s hard for the opposition to play a role in that committee. To be effective, we have to get access to information and briefings, but that didn’t happen,” Saifuddin was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, whose party is aligned with Umno, welcomed Ismail Sabri’s move to bring about calmness and harmony in the political landscape, allowing the government to focus on combating Covid-19 and reviving the economy.
“PAS welcomes the ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ approach mentioned by the prime minister. It is an approach meant to unite all quarters in facing the pandemic and economic crisis.
“PAS also welcomes the offer made by the PN government to opposition leaders to join the NRC and Special Committee to Manage Covid-19.” – The Vibes, August 22, 2021
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