NGOs Call For 15th Parliament To Serve Full Term To Advance Reforms

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- Forty-four civil society organisations and 25 individuals have called for the 15th Parliament to serve until the end of its term on Dec 18, 2027, allowing more institutional reforms to be implemented to strengthen democracy and improve governance.

In a joint statement today, the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and individuals said the current Parliament should remain until its term expires, unless the government loses the confidence of the majority of Members of Parliament.

“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should convene a cross-party leaders’ summit involving all government and opposition parties  represented in Parliament to formulate a joint agenda for the remaining parliamentary term,” they said.

The joint statement was issued by Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek SAMA), Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM), Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center), Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM), Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) and Pertubuhan IKRAM Malaysia (IKRAM).

According to the statement, the proposed reforms include amendments to the Federal Constitution to separate the roles of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor and set a 10-year limit on the Prime Minister’s term of office.

The group also called for the drafting of the Ombudsman Act and Freedom of Information Act, as well as laws requiring constituency development allocations to be distributed equitably among all Members of Parliament regardless of political affiliation.

They also proposed amendments to the Election Offences Act 1954 and the expansion of postal voting or absentee voting for overseas voters and those outside their respective states.  

The group urged that Parliamentary committees be strengthened, the process of drafting and reviewing the budget be streamlined, and channels be provided for tabling, debating and passing Private Members’ Bills.

They also called on all coalitions and political parties to support the institutional reform agenda, which would benefit any future government and create a level playing field.

All 13 state governments were urged to enact laws requiring development allocations to be provided fairly to all assemblymen, with transparency and accountability.

The group also proposed improving the first-past-the-post electoral system at the state level by introducing assemblymen through a party-list proportional representation system, as well as increasing the representation of women, youth, Orang Asli and other ethnic groups.

They also urged the Federal and state governments to give advance notice of the dissolution date if they do not intend to serve out their full term, allowing voters, the Election Commission, police, civil servants and other relevant parties to prepare accordingly.

--BERNAMA