KUCHING, Sept 14: The recently signed Confidence Supply Reform Arrangement (CSRA) between the government and Pakatan Harapan (PH) will ensure that no single party or single coalition will be able to have an absolute majority and dominate in the years to come.
In stating this, Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman Chong Chieng Jen said under the CSRA, PH will continue to be the Opposition and continue to criticise the government on their policies.
“However, Prime Minister Dato Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will be allowed to govern until the next General Election when the electorates will decide who shall be the government for the next 5 years.
“Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional and PH can fight it out during the elections, but after that, all parties will need to put aside their political differences and play their respective different roles in the new CSRA settings.
“Ultimately, it is the people and the country who will benefit from such a new CSRA setting and political development which is the hallmark of a mature parliamentary democracy,” he said in a statement today.
The CSRA laid down some important reforms on the parliamentary system including the tabling and passing of an anti-party hopping law latest by 2023, balance of membership in the Parliamentary Select Committee involving government MPs and opposition MPs to act as check-and-balance to the Executive, and having every Bill including the Supply Bill to be discussed and consented to by a majority of MPs before they are presented in Parliament.
Chong also said that pertaining to Covid-19 management, the government has accepted the proposals submitted by PH, namely an additional injection of RM45 billion by the government for businesses and the people, moratorium on repayment of bank loans without interest and enhance the ‘find, test, trace, isolate, support and vaccinate’ strategy to contain the spread of Covid-19.
“For Sabah and Sarawak, it is also in our CSRA that the government must step up on the implementation of Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63),” he said.
Chong opined that all these proposed reforms will not be possible if the government continues to have a strong majority in the House.
“In a way, it was the sheer number of the Opposition in the House that has forced the government to come to the negotiation table and finally agreeing on the CSRA,” he added. — DayakDaily
