LETTER | Keeping a scorecard on MOU between govt and Harapan

LETTER | On Sept 13, 2021, the government and the Pakatan Harapan coalition (comprising PKR, DAP, Amanah and Upko) inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on bipartisan cooperation where both parties agreed to work on and achieve the following:

1. Strengthening the Covid-19 plan

2. Administrative transformation, all of which are to be implemented no later than the 1st meeting of the 5th Parliament term in 2022, for the:

• passing of the anti-hopping bill

• implementation of Undi18

• constitutional amendment to limit the prime minister's term to 10 years

• the government to table an extra fiscal injection of RM45 billion (US$10.87 billion) in the Parliament for approval that would be used to strengthen the healthcare system, extend financial help to the people and support the continuity of businesses

• RM10 billion of cash assistance would be channelled to 11 million recipients in the second half of 2021

• 50 percent of the members of the National Recovery Council (NRC) must comprise public and private sector experts

3. Parliamentary reforms

4. Independence of the judiciary and the judicial processes

5. Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63)

6. Establishment of a steering committee to drive the above

As part of the agreement, the government has agreed not to dissolve the Parliament before Jul 31, 2022, ie a general election would not be held until at least August 2022. 

The time frame until July 31, 2022, apparently was made based on the norms for the legislative process in the country, which normally would take around nine months to bring to fruition all the reforms embodied in the MOU.

In return, the Harapan coalition would either support or abstain during the vote to pass the national budget, related supply bills as well as other bills or motions construed as confidence votes on the condition that the drafting of the budget, budget-related bills and other bills be jointly negotiated between the government and the Harapan coalition. 

Unless The Temporary Measures for Government Financing [Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19)] (Amendment) Act 2021 passed in Oct 2021 encompassed the Covid-19 plan, there were no public announcements made as to the details of how the government plans to strengthen the Covid-19 plan set out in the MOU.

The anti-hopping bill is still being discussed where it is now referred to a bi-partisan Parliamentary Special Select Committee for evaluation.

The Undi18 and automatic voter registration have been gazetted on Dec 1, 2021, and implemented on Dec 15, 2021. 

A bill to limit the tenure of a prime minister to 10 years was supposed to be tabled in the parliamentary meeting starting Feb 28, 2022. Unfortunately, it didn’t see the lights of the day.

Then it was mentioned that it will be tabled at a special Parliament session to be held in April 2022. The special session was held and concluded but no mention was made or the bill tabled during the session.

The Temporary Measures for Government Financing [Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19)] (Amendment) Act aimed to allow the government to raise the ceiling cap for the Covid-19 fund from RM65 billion to RM110 billion was tabled in October 2021 which included the proposed estimated additional expenditure of RM45 billion of which RM10 billion of cash assistance would be channelled to 11 million recipients.

The government restructured the NRC before the signing of the MOU.

Restructure the NRC

On Sept 7, 2021, again before the signing of the MOU, RESET Malaysia, a coalition of 116 NGOs, submitted a memorandum requesting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Conference of Rulers to restructure the NRC immediately.

To date, unless changes were unannounced, it is assumed that the members of the NRC remain the same as those appointed prior to the signing of the MOU with Harapan which states that 50 percent of the members of the NRC must comprise public and private sector experts.

In early Oct 2021, the government announced equal allocations to be provided to both government and opposition MPs over the next four months and the leader of the opposition as a PM-in-waiting is to be entitled to the same government intelligence information as the PM.

The Parliamentary Services Act, repealed in 2002, is to be reintroduced also allowing the Parliament to make its own staff appointments and enjoy a guaranteed budget.

The announcement only provides a very short-term solution as it was unclear whether the MPs will be given equal allocations in the next budget.  

No KPI was announced or set as to how the government plans to address the issues on the independence of the judiciary and the judicial processes. As there were no reports made publicly, the public is unclear on the issues and how it was addressed.

The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2021 related to the MA63 was passed and approved on Dec 14, 2021.

Under the formation of a steering committee agenda, it was supposedly agreed that the steering committee members would be made up of ten people, with five representatives from the administration and five from the opposition. Again, this was not disclosed or revealed to the public.

Has the government delivered on the MOU or at least on most of it? The success or failure of this historic MoU will depend on whether it can be fully implemented as promised according to the timelines set.

The proof is in the pudding. 

From the above, it appears that both sides were either foot-dragging on the range of issues or one side is leading the other side on with false and empty promises which it knows can never be fulfilled within the timeframe set.

From the constant angling by Umno for the MOU to be terminated early or for the government not to extend the deadline not to dissolve the Parliament before Jul 31, 2022, it appears that one side wants an early general election while the other side is hoping to extend the deadline to buy more time to regroup and restrategise their election strategies following the continuous and successive defeats in three state elections.

The public should judge whether the MOU signed is really about political stability or for the survival of the politicians and the political parties wrestling desperately to govern this country.

A study revealed that about 60 percent of the 32 million Malaysians fail to throw their garbage into rubbish bins although these have been provided for them.

If this attitude were to change and improve, it will wake up all the politicians in the country too for fear that the public will dispose them off as to how they throw their garbage after each meal. 

Let’s hope that the public will not allow the country to be a mirror of how foreign countries viewed us, a trash can for developed countries to dump their waste but also a dumping ground for rubbish politicians. 

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.