KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — If Pakatan Harapan (PH) wins the 15th general election (GE15), it will introduce reforms to ensure a fair and equal government.
The four major institutional reforms include the Fixed Parliament Term Act, absentee ballots to make voting more accessible, nominations of major appointments to be vetted by a special committee, and the establishment of a Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) and Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
“If voted into power this November 19, Harapan will introduce the Fixed Parliament Term Act to ensure that the dissolution of Parliament and the DUN (state legislative assembly) will only be called for at the end of the term to minimise political instability,” the party’s manifesto committee communications director Rajiv Rishyakaran said in a statement.
“In the last two years, the country has been on the edge of its seat wondering if the post-'Sheraton Move' governments will call for early elections. This is very disruptive to society,” he said, adding that it has inconvenienced the plans of government agencies, supply chains, and investment decisions alike.
As for absentee ballots, PH said it recognised that voters living in a different state than their hometowns have to go out of their way to cast their votes, or completely give up their right to vote.
Hence, the coalition promises to allow people to cast their votes even if they cannot physically make it to the polls on election day.
It also pledged to review the nomination of major appointments to ensure that the people in power are non-partisan and execute their duties without bias.
“Nomination for roles such as the public prosecutor, primary positions in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Election Commission of Malaysia, and the inspector-general of police must be vetted by a Special Parliamentary Committee that is made up of members from various parties.
“People in these positions cannot be cronies of the prime minister and must feel safe in executing their duty.
“Security of tenure shall be given to appointed individuals to ensure that their duration of service is not arbitrarily cut short by a sitting prime minister.
“This will give confidence to the officers to take action on ministers, members of the ruling government, and even the prime minister himself. This should never happen again,” he said, referring to the sacking of attorney general Abdul Gani Patail by then-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.
Meanwhile, Rajiv said establishing a PBO will improve the policy-making process and level the playing field by offering access to cost estimation services and other forms of analysis usually available only to the government.
PH will also provide equal CDF for MPs regardless of their party because they represent the interests of voters in their constituencies. This allocation must be relayed through the Parliament and not the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“No constituency in this country should be marginalised or cut off because its people voted for the other political party.
“This will also stop the incentive for Opposition MPs to defect to the government party, whether formally or informally,” he said.
