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PETALING JAYA: Bersih 2.0 has urged Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to approach the opposition for a Trust and Supply Agreement (CSA).
He said minority governments in the UK, Denmark and Canada, the latest on October 21, have approved their budgets with opposition support on a CSA basis.
The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections said a CSA may require certain reforms, including parliamentary reform, electoral and other institutional reforms, and equal funding for all deputies.
The contribution of the Opposition would also be needed to make the Budget more inclusive and prudent, and to avoid a repeat of a similar political stalemate in the future.
“A Muhyiddin-PH CSA will have a maximum of 204 votes and can afford any defection,” he said in a statement on Sunday (October 25).
According to the Collins Dictionary, the CSA denotes an arrangement in a hung Parliament in which an Opposition party agrees not to vote against a minority government on votes of confidence or budget matters, but reserves the right to oppose other laws.
Bersih 2.0 said that if Muhyiddin insists on not having a CSA bill with the official opposition, then he must resign if his budget is defeated.
Malaysia will not have to go to a quick vote or risk not having a budget, as the House can pass a vote of confidence to another MP to form a new government and continue with the budget. Even if the prime minister leads only a minority government, he can humbly seek a CSA with the opposition parties, ”he said, adding that an emergency proclamation is a self-coup to subvert parliamentary democracy.
The Malaysian rulers will hold a special meeting in Istana Negara on Sunday afternoon to discuss the government’s plan to declare a state of emergency to address the worsening Covid-19 situation.
On Friday (October 23), Muhyiddin and several ministers presented to the King the emergency plan in Istana Abdul Aziz Indera Mahkota in Kuantan.
They were accompanied by Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador, Attorney General Tan Sri Idrus Harun and Director General of the Ministry of Health, Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah.
In the meantime, Sarawak’s upcoming state elections should not be used as an excuse to impose a nationwide Emergency in the name of fighting Covid-19, Sarawak Bersih said.
The electoral watchdog said this is because the next state elections could be held until August 5 next year, nine months before vaccines are likely to be available.
“All we need is for the Sarawak state government to serve its full term until June 6, 2121, which is five years from the first session of the current state legislature on June 7, 2016, and that the Commission Electoral set the vote in the last days since the dissolution, “he said in a statement on Sunday (October 25).
Sarawak Bersih rejected suggestions that an emergency declaration would protect Sarawak residents from Covid-19 in state elections.
Such a declaration would not only harm Malaysia’s democracy and economy, but would also have the effect of paralyzing Sarawak’s autonomy, he said.
“It will be a blank check for the federal government to have control over Sarawak in ‘any matter within the legislative authority of a state’, even to the point of ‘giving instructions to the government of a state or any official or authority thereof’ “he said, citing article 150 (4) of the Federal Constitution.
Sarawak Bersih called on the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition not to be part of a plan that would undermine the autonomy of the state.
“Surely you should consider withdrawing from the Federal Government to stop the disastrous proposed Emergency,” Sarawak Bersih said.
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