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This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on October 16, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the Pakatan Harapan’s de facto leader cum future prime minister, says his first task as a member of parliament (MP) is to commit himself to the push for parliamentary reform.

“My job is to strengthen Parliament and to support the government of the day under the leadership of [Prime Minister] Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad,” Anwar told a press conference in Parliament yesterday.

The 70-year-old PKR president-elect was speaking after being sworn in as MP for Port Dickson (PD) following his landslide victory against six other candidates in a by-election last Saturday which saw him raking in a majority of 23,560 votes, a record for the constituency despite a lower-than-average turnout of 58.3%.

Sharing his appreciation to Port Dickson voters, Anwar said: “I was deprived of my right [as a serving MP]. Now I feel vindicated in a sense ... but then I share the pride with the people of PD.”

It is also the first time Anwar is in Parliament with Dr Mahathir in just over 20 years.

Dr Mahathir, speaking to the press on the sidelines, said he is happy with Anwar’s return, and that the by-election result was expected.

“Of course I’m happy. He is from the same party (Pakatan) [as me].

“We expected him to come back [to Parliament]. The opposition was going to be split up among the six [candidates] and the number seven will win. And he (Anwar) won big,” said Dr Mahathir.

Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, described Anwar’s return as a “historic” moment in Malaysian politics.

“I feel proud that today we have received the Port Dickson MP [into Parliament]. He has a role and responsibility in the move for parliamentary reform, which is what Pakatan has included in its election manifesto.

“We hope the reputation of Parliament is lifted to a higher level and the people can have the belief that whatever is decided in Parliament is for the good of the people, and not just politics,” Muhyiddin said.

He also gave an assurance the government MPs will monitor closely the developments in this regard, and urged opposition MPs to also support the parliamentary reform so it can be completed in a shorter time.

Anwar, in describing his immediate focus, reiterated the proposal by Pakatan in its 14th general election manifesto to set up parliamentary select committees to monitor executive agencies.

“Our Parliament in the past had been considered a rubber stamp, MPs will debate but will also [eventually] endorse whatever that has been decided.

“We would like research a new approach to ensure that the parliament is more effective through the formation of select committees or various other discussions.

“I have deliberated with the prime minister on how to ensure parliament is deemed to be effective to serve the constituencies and the people, and the nation,” he said.

On Aug 8, Parliament passed the motion on the appointment of a six-member select committee for the 14th parliamentary term, chaired by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof.

Commenting on the Pakatan manifesto, Anwar said, the coalition has honoured the “core issues” despite having to reconsider some of the promises.

“The core issues decided by Pakatan has been honoured, to me,” said Anwar, citing examples like governance, corruption, as well as the no-compromise stance on fund leakages and abuse of power.

He also agreed with Dr Mahathir’s stance that certain constraints have hindered some election promises — such as highway toll abolishment — from being fulfilled.

“I think Tun Mahathir is right to say some of these issues need to be re-hedged or relooked upon,” said Anwar. “The stark reality… we do reconsider [as it involves] the financial constraints [of the nation], the present economic reality, and the global trading arrangements,” he said.

Anwar also said that the people still support the government of the day despite these shortcomings, based on his landslide victory last Saturday.

“If you say that the people fail to support, that is not truly correct because these problems are also faced by the people of PD,” Anwar said.

“They understand and they did respond to some of these concerns by the prime minister and members of the cabinet, but finally, when it comes to the crunch, they made the right decision.”

 

No talk on Cabinet post

Meanwhile, Anwar confirmed that there has been no immediate talk about him being appointed to the cabinet, and that he is not looking to take up any formal position in Parliament to avoid any red tapes in revamping the institution.

He also said he does not see the absence of a formal timeline for him to take over as prime minister from Dr Mahathir as an issue.

“Let him have the space, the latitude to continue unaffected by these constraints or time or pressure.

“That is very important. Some of the decisions to be made by PM and the cabinet are very key fundamentals decisions of policy, of reversing the decisions of the previous government and that will require unequivocal support by Pakatan and that includes me,” he added.

The bigger concern, he said, was to remind Malaysian politicians that any decision should be in line with the demand of the public, which they represent.

“I always believe that political leaders or elites must represent the conscience of the majority.

“I think it is my duty to remind them that the success of any government, budget, or policy, must be shared by the common people… There is a limit on how [political] elites ... can think, deliberate, discuss, and decide, but finally we have to trust the wisdom of the people,” he said.

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