JAKARTA - The King of Malaysia welcomed the plan of the Malaysian Government under Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, which will cooperate with opposition groups to maintain political stability during the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ismail Sabri Yaakob took office last month with a narrow parliamentary majority, becoming the third prime minister in three years, following senior politicians Mahathir Mohamad and Muhyiddin Yassin.
In a joint statement late on Sunday, representatives from the government and the opposition bloc Pakatan Harapan led by Anwar Ibrahim said they had agreed to focus on transformational initiatives and reforms.
"All parties have agreed that this MoU aims to restore the country's political stability in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and revive the economy through bi-partisan cooperation," they said, citing Reuters Monday, September 13.
The pact follows Ismail Sabri Yaakob's offer on Friday to introduce political reforms, including new laws to prevent defections and limit the prime minister's term to 10 years, in a bid to win opposition support for his leadership.
The offer also includes; bipartisan agreement on each bill to be introduced in parliament, input from opposition parties on the national recovery council and immediately lowering the minimum voting age from 21 to 18. He also said opposition leaders would be granted the same. Remuneration and privileges as cabinet ministers.
Separately, Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah said he welcomed and appreciated the bipartisan cooperation initiated by the new government and the opposition.
"I welcome and appreciate efforts to realize a new approach, dual-partisan cooperation involving all parties, which will build a new political landscape and bring about changes in the country's administrative system," he said in a royal decree in parliament on Monday, citing CNA.
"This kind of maturity is what people want," he added.
This is the first parliamentary meeting under Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's government. The House of Representatives will meet for 17 days to October 12, while the Senate will meet from October 4 to October 26.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, the king said the new government should redouble its efforts to fight COVID-19 and bring the country and people out of the pandemic.
“With a high-performing work culture and focus on short-term and long-term goals, I believe this government can prove an early milestone in 100 days," said Raja Malaysia.
"In the future, I advise all parties to practice deliberative democracy in finding solutions to all problems," he hoped.
The king also urged lawmakers to refocus on fighting the pandemic, and making the country shine again.
"My advice to all, do not risk the future of the country and its citizens just to achieve a certain agenda," said Raja Malaysia.
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