(From left) Beluran MP Ronald Kiandee, opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin, deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof and PN chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan at meeting Tuesday.
PETALING JAYA: Bersih has expressed hope that deputy prime minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof’s meeting with opposition leader Datuk Hamzah Zainudin yesterday will pave the way for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Putrajaya and the opposition.
This comes after Fadillah met Hamzah, Perikatan Nasional chief whip Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan and Beluran MP Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee to discuss “issues” faced by the opposition.
Bersih said this meeting was a good and necessary step towards ensuring political stability, allowing elected representatives and ministers to focus on developing the nation.
“Bersih hopes that this discussion will pave the way for an MoU (between the government and opposition) as implemented by the then prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob (in September 2021),” it said in a statement.
It also proposed that the MoU incorporate 10 key reforms to be undertaken by Putrajaya, including the process of appointing the Election Commission chairman and members through a parliamentary committee.
It also called for a Fixed-Term Parliamentary Act, the roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor to be separated, a political financing law and reforms to the Election Offences Act, among others.
“Following this meeting, Bersih hopes that a positive and immediate result can be achieved. Constituency development fund allocations that have been denied to opposition MPs should be given without discrimination any longer.
“The allocations should also be immediately enacted into a law so that its formula, distribution, expenditure mechanisms and auditing requirements for transparency can be formulated to prevent misuse of the allocations.”
After Ismail was appointed prime minister, he signed an MoU with Pakatan Harapan to guarantee political stability while undertaking certain reforms, including the anti-hopping law, which was passed and implemented during the Bera MP’s tenure.
Under the MoU, all MPs were given equal allocations.
