Prospects are bright for a confidence-supply-reform accord between the government and opposition to single-mindedly gain control of the Covid-19 pandemic with parliamentary and institutional reforms

From the comments of two Ministers, the Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin who is also the Bersatu secretary-general, and the Foreign Minister, Saifuddin Abdullah, prospects are bright for a confidence-supply-reform accord between the government and the opposition to single-mindedly gain control of the Covid-19 pandemic with parliamentary and institutional reforms.

Hamzah said Bersatu is agreeable to such an understanding between the government and the opposition to create a “new political landscape” that would bring stability to the country.

It would also enable all political parties to abide by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree for politicians to work together and manage the Covid-19 pandemic as a united team.

Saifuddin called for a political ceasefire between the government and the opposition to ensure that Malaysia is able to focus on containing the Covid-19 pandemic and reviving the economy.

He said: "During this cooling-off period, we need to reset the system. We have complained about so many things, so I strongly believe that we need to reset the system, which will entail all kinds of works.

"I would like, in particular, for the parliamentarians to adhere to the royal decree so that we could reduce the political disputes."

I support the idea of a confidence-supply-reform understanding between the government and opposition.

In fact, more than two months ago on June 17, I mooted as a matter of personal opinion the idea of a political moratorium to focus single-mindedly on one national priority - to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and to ensure that the Covid-19 fatalities in Malaysia do not exceed 5,000 deaths.

I was responding to the special Conference of Rulers meeting a day earlier and I said the Rulers’ special meeting should be an occasion for the country to make a new start in the war against Covid-19 pandemic, which had caused devastating consequences to the life, economy and society of Malaysians, registering a cumulative total of 673,025 Covid-19 cases and 4,142 Covid-19 deaths at the time.

I called for a political moratorium so that the country could single-mindedly overcome the “existential threat” posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

I also called for parliamentary reform and a “new vision” of the role that can be played by Parliament and the various parliamentary select committees to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

I had said: “Malaysians do not want any constitutional crisis in any form but a single-minded focus by every Malaysian, whether in the Executive or the Legislatures, to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic – and this must remain the nation’s single-minded focus whether it takes one or two years.

“Let Malaysians show the world that we can win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and that we have the wartime mentality to unite against a common foe in the Covid-19 pandemic which is killing Malaysians every day and threatening to destroy the very fabric of the Malaysian nation.”

The idea of a political moratorium to face the existential threat of the Covid-19 pandemic was ahead of the times on June `17, and we have now a cumulative total of 1,765,666 Covid-19 cases and 16,942 Covid-19 deaths.