KUALA LUMPUR: Bersih 2.0 has reiterated that the people’s mandate in the 14th General Election (GE14) must be respected in the formation of the next government for the remaining term.
Given the choice between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Bersih 2.0 said it supports a government led by Dr Mahathir.
The civil society organisation said it backed Dr Mahatir based on several conditions.
It said firstly, it has to be a Pakatan Harapan (PH) government based on the Buku Harapan manifesto, as this was the people’s mandate in GE14. It may also be a PH++ government with new members - parties or individual parliamentarians - but the new members must commit themselves to the Buku Harapan.
It said the political turbulence since Feb 23 was due to ambiguity in PH’s transition plan and its recurrence must be avoided with a clear transition plan.
“TDM’s (Dr Mahathir's) prime ministership should end in November, latest within two weeks after the APEC summit. To minimise uncertainty, his successor should be made the Deputy Prime Minister, and the person should be (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim, the 8th Prime Minister promised by PH in GE14, or any other candidate agreed by PH’s presidential council,” said the Bersih 2.0 Steering Committee in a statement here today.
Thirdly, it said that responsible and healthy party politics must be promoted through substantial reforms in electoral and wider political system so that there would be a term limit for Prime Minister and de-concentration of his/her power, strengthening of the Parliament, a level playing field in the 15th General Election (GE15) for all parties to contest – with preparation for parties in this government to compete against each other, and measures to promote government’s viability and curb party-crossing.
Finally, it said the reconfigured PH government must recognise its weakness in implementing the reform agenda in its first 21 months, and focus on three aspects in the remaining term:
* Managing the economy in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak and the on-going US-China trade war to alleviate the hardship of the people, especially the marginalised groups;
* Deepening institutional reforms to affirm rule of law, good governance and human rights; and
* Improving communal relations and reduce anxiety and insecurity felt by the Malay-Muslims as well as other communities in East and West Malaysia.