NO doubt, many Malaysians will be celebrating Merdeka this year satisfied that justice has finally been served on the biggest scandal in Malaysian history.
This is after former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was finally sent to jail after he lost his final appeal at the Federal Court over the SRC International RM42 mil case, which is liked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.
Malaysians can also celebrate the passing of the historic anti-party hopping constitutional amendment earlier this month.
However, there remains lots of “unfinished business” (borrowing from the title of my colleague, Yeo Bee Yin’s new book) that should be included in the parliamentary agenda, especially if elections are called next year.
There are two more possible parliamentary sessions at the end of this year and next March where such legislative reforms can be passed.
These reforms are my Merdeka wishlist for the country, in what will be my last Merdeka as the MP for Bangi.
Unconditional citizenship passing for Malaysian mothers
First on my wishlist is a constitutional amendment that will recognise explicitly the passing of citizenship status of children of Malaysian mothers, including those born overseas.
There could be tens of thousands (and perhaps more) of such children in and outside the country. Right now, the fate of the citizenship of these children lies in the hands of the Federal Court.
A responsible Government should grant this right explicitly as part of the larger Keluarga Malaysia agenda.
Even Barisan Nasional (BN) and UMNO Wanita chief Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad has come out in support of the recognition of such citizenship rights. DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has already expressed DAP’s support for such a constitutional amendment and I am sure that other MPs from other parties would be willing to do the same.
Equal constituency allocations to all MPs
My second wishlist is for the passage of a Constituency Allocation Act that guarantees equal constituency allocation from the Government to all MPs, regardless of whether they are Government or non-Government MPs.
We need to formalise the agreement that is in the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Pakatan Harapan with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Government. This will be an important step as part of the process of transitioning to a more mature and developed democracy.
Legal framework for political funding
My third wishlist is for the passage of a Political Financing Act, something which Ismail has already openly discussed.
This Act needs to include the following elements to make it more acceptable to all parties, namely; funding for political parties based on the vote share, and adequate safeguards for small donors, including a threshold of RM50,000 for donations that need to be declared.
Besides that, an independent council should be appointed from political parties and respected stakeholders to oversee this Act.
Capped Parliament term and PM forced to show he has the numbers
My fourth wishlist is for the passage of a Fixed Term Parliament and Vote of Confidence Act, which will set the term of Parliament at a fixed term of five years and also establish a mechanism whereby a prime minister will have to seek a vote of confidence in Parliament in order to show that they have majority support in the Dewan Rakyat.
In addition, this Act will also spell out the conditions by which a prime minister can be replaced, including by voting for an alternative candidate that is able to show majority support in the Dewan Rakyat.
This Act will give further political stability to the country, especially in view of the very real possibility that no one coalition will likely command a strong parliamentary majority after the 15th General Elections (GE15).
Proper consultation, bipartisan support for “painful reforms”
My fifth and final wishlist is for a proper consultation and broad bipartisan support for the proposed Fiscal Responsibility Act that will be tabled during the upcoming Budget session.
This kind of broad consultation and bipartisan support is needed especially if the Government wants to introduce painful reforms such as targeted subsidies for items like petrol and electricity.
I understand that many people are anticipating an election later this year shortly after the tabling of the budget which had been brought forward to Oct 7.
Given the uncertainty on when Parliament will be dissolved, there is still a need for a proactive legislative agenda, even if it is to set the framework of what could be on the political agenda post-GE15 for whoever forms the next Government.
Happy Merdeka, everyone! – Aug 27, 2022
Dr Ong Kian Ming is the DAP MP for Bangi.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main photo credit: Bernama
