KUCHING, Aug 14: The CSO Platform for Reform has urged Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to not dangle the ‘offers of reforms’ over the people’s heads.
The non-governmental organisation (NGO), in a statement today, said it viewed the ‘offers of reforms’ by the PM as a desperate move to salvage all powers as the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government was never interested in working on institutional reforms nor open the doors for meaningful engagements with the civil society organisations (CSOs).
It also said (the government) offering the reforms that most CSOs have already been working on is nothing but insulting, demeaning, and debasing the citizen’s intelligence.
“The silence of PN on institutional reforms work in the past 17 months has been chilling! It is only upon realisation that he (Muhyiddin) has come to the end of the road and making a desperate attempt to stay in power then he decided to offer the reforms that are rightly the duty and responsibility of the prime minister to execute while in power.
“We call on Muhyiddin to implement the proposed reform now as the current prime minister, and not to use reforms offer as the condition to garner MPs’ support.
“We also want him to implement the vote of confidence into motion now, and not wait until September for the Parliament to reconvene; as well as be a gentleman and step down,” it said.
The NGO also demanded the incoming prime minister and government to keep the promise to carry out reforms from the people that started in the 14th General Election (GE14).
This includes the abolishment of draconian laws and on reforms such as electoral, judiciary, education, government linked companies (GLC), corruption, health, women and children, Indigenous Peoples, migrants, labour, refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, racial discrimination and freedom of expression.
“The incoming government must be prepared with a manifesto to heal the nation. A thorough plan to tackle the pandemic, economic recovery plan and pertinent institutional reforms, including the reforms mentioned by the prime minister, specifically on Recall Election mechanism or any mechanisms to prevent any MPs or elected representatives from defecting for position and power, political financing, Undi18 and automatic voters’ registration, and to cease and desist all forms of prosecution on all dissidents.
“A change of premiership will not compromise the works of managing the Covid-19 pandemic as was pronounced by the prime minister and some politicians. This is clearly a fear tactic and we will not fall for it.
“A government must start with integrity and end with integrity. When you start without one, then you have been compromised right through the end,” it added. — DayakDaily
