Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) takes note of the honorable resignation of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet and respects the YDP Agong’s decision to appoint Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin as the interim Prime Minister (PM) for a temporary period until the appointment of a suitable candidate as PM.
As iterated in the earlier statement by TI-M’s President, Muhammad Mohan, the PM and government of the day must adhere and respect the titah of the YDP Agong, the provisions of the Federal Constitution (FC) and the people’s mandate. We echo the calls of other civil society organizations that have stated the best resolution to the ongoing political crisis is to return the choice to the Malaysian people. We also note the YDP Agong has pointed out that the nation is not currently in a suitable state to carry out elections and thus a provisional government must be formed until such a time.
TI-M believes that it is of utmost importance, for the stability and successful navigation of the government through the rough waters of the pandemic until the 15th General Elections, that the candidate for the PM post must be a lawmaker who is bi-partisan, ready to unite the people, commands the support of the majority of parliament (as required by the FC), is supported by East and West Malaysian lawmakers and is free from corruption and criminal charges.
TI-M urges the government and the incoming PM to keep their ears close to the ground and introduce the following overdue reforms in order to ensure a fairer upcoming 15th General Elections and a bright future for Malaysians, or risk being punished at the elections:
a. Enacting term limits for the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chief Ministers;
b. Tabling the Political Financing Bill, Asset Declaration Bill and Independent Police Complaints and Monitoring Commission (IPCMC) in Parliament;
c. Separating the roles of the Attorney General (AG) and the Public Prosecutor (PP), where the Public Prosecutor has to be appointed by a Parliament and his/her tenure of office is fixed;
d. Increasing the independence of the MACC by elevating it to a constitutional body, where the appointment of the Chief Commissioner is by Parliament and his/tenure of office is fixed;
e. Tabling a law to ensure key public officers and heads of GLCs are appointed transparently, and prevent any elected representatives or their immediate families from holding any of these positions, or from being beneficial owners of companies which are awarded government and GLC contracts;
f. Introduce reforms that prevent abuse of power in the state and federal machinery, as well law enforcement in the upcoming general elections.
TI-M once again repeats our call for all Malaysians and Civil Society to join hands and push for the reforms and changes that will guarantee a safer, fairer, corruption-free and more peaceful future for our beloved country.
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Note to Editors: For clarification on any and all official statements from Transparency International – Malaysia (TI-M), kindly refer to its President, Dr Muhammad Mohan (mmohan@transparency.org.my)
