DAP Branches should organise zoom or hybrid-zoom meetings to explain the confidence-supply-reform (CSR) memorandum of understanding (MOU) to the Malaysian public

It is two weeks after the signing of the confidence-supply-reform (CSR) memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri and the Pakatan Harapan leaders, Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng, Mohamad Sabu and Wilfred Madius Tangau but many people still believe that the CSR MOU was a betrayal of the principles and objectives by the Opposition leaders or that it was a “trap” by Ismail Sabri.

DAP branches should organise zoom or hybrid-zoom meetings to explain the CSR MOU so that the Malaysian public will know that that there is no basis for the belief that the MOU was a betrayal by the Opposition leaders of their principles and objectives or that it was a “trap” by Ismail Sabri.

The case of Nelson Mandela who chose negotiations with the South African apartheid government despite his 23 years’ of incarceration is a good example.

Although Mandela knew that negotiations with the South African National Party would be regarded as a sign of weakness and betrayal, the alternative - and in the case of Covid-19 pandemic, more millions of cases and more tens of thousands of deaths - was too terrible to contemplate.

The CSR MOU will set up a bipartisan steering committee which will have an important role to play – not only to ensure the implementation of the various measures to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and to reset the political framework with institutional and parliamentary reforms, but to ensure judicial independence and the full implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Various proposals have been made to ensure judicial independence and the full implementation of Malaysia Agreement 1963, including the proposal that Prime Minister should not be involved in the appointment of the Chief Justice and the transparency of the final report of MA63.

It will be up to the steering committee to fulfil public expectations on these two issues.

The CSR MOU will end the political intrigues, plots and counterplot surrounding who will be the Prime Minister and focus Parliament single-mindedly on the issue to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic and minimise its adverse economic and social effects as well as to reset the political system with institutional and parliamentary reforms for the next 10-18 months.

The political ceasefire or moratorium does not mean the end of politics which brought all the Members of Parliament to Parliament, as the mandate as to who is to form the government is only deferred until the 15th General Election, whether in 2022 or 2023.