Majority votes needed
Two-thirds of MPS need to support PM’S reforms
PETALING JAYA: The constitutional reforms put on offer to all MPS by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in exchange for a bipartisan vote can only be passed in Parliament with a two-thirds majority as they entail amendments to the Federal Constitution, said former Federal Court Judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram.
But he cautioned that some of the reforms proposed by Muhyiddin may go against the principles of a democratic institution since Malaysia practises parliamentary democracy.
“These constitutional reforms are doable provided the Opposition vote for an amendment to the Federal Constitution.
“But whether limiting the term of the prime minister to two terms goes against the basic structure of the Constitution and the principles of a democratic institution is another question,” said Sri Ram, when contacted.
Constitutional law expert Emeritus Prof Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi also agreed that the reforms offered by Muhyiddin would need a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia political analyst Dr Mazlan Ali said the offers were made after studying all aspects of the reforms.
“When Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi retracted 14 MPS from
supporting Muhyiddin, and the opposition led by PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed that he had 105 MPS on his side, Muhyiddin probably realised the country will continue to be in a political crisis if a new PM is not elected.
“Thus, such reforms were likely to have been offered to maintain his position as PM in a more organised manner with better constitutional amendments,” said Mazlan.
He said many meetings were held between ministers prior to the announcement.
Associate Prof Dr Sara Chinnasamy said all political parties need to be open and build an understanding to ensure that measures to take the country out of the Covid-19 pandemic can be implemented well.
Therefore, the current political pressure should be stopped so that efforts to restore the country’s economy can continue before GE15, she said.
“It has been clearly stated that the election will be held no later than July 2022, so we must be patient and reduce the political pressure.
“The Opposition bloc must respond to the call to work with the Perikatan Nasional government so that we can get out of the Covid19 pandemic and for the reopening of economic sectors,” said the political and media social analyst.
Associate Prof Chinnasamy said the government should not be pressured to call for the general election amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said Malaysia should learn from countries such as India, the United States and Poland, which had to deal with an increase in Covid-19 infections after holding their elections during the pandemic.
“The cross-party understanding framework requires the support, efforts and focus of all parties to restore the country’s economy.
“Put aside political agendas for a while and use this opportunity to do checks and balances in various aspects,” she said.