PH rejects Muhyiddin’s offer of reforms in exchange for support

The three leaders of Pakatan Harapan (PH) have rejected the cross-party agreement offered by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in exchange for support from MPs across the divide at the upcoming confidence vote.

Instead, they said they would be able to offer a better deal than the series of reforms promised by Muhyiddin.

“We are confident that we can offer a better plan, especially in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, reviving the economy, as well as saving the people and livelihoods,” said a statement issued by Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng and Mohamad Sabu.

Muhyiddin had listed seven items in his proposal for a cross-party agreement to avoid a collapse of the government which he said could risk a power vacuum that would be disastrous in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among others, he pledged to channel equal allocations of funds to all MPs across the political divide, enact an anti-hopping law, limit the prime minister’s tenure in office, and ensure a balanced representation of MPs from the government and opposition in the Special Parliamentary Select Committee.

Muhyiddin also promised to implement Undi18 to allow those who reach 18 years of age to vote at the next election.

However, the PH trio described the offer as a “bribe”, accusing him of undermining the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and repeating their demand that he step down.

“Moreover, when Muhyiddin said ‘there is not a single MP who can prove that he has the majority support from MPs in the Dewan Rakyat’, he has clearly turned his back on the role and powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as the head of state as stated in in the Federal Constitution, in particular Article 43 (2)(a),” they added.