Propose Parliamentary reform to include introducing Opposition Days where the Opposition will decide the Parliamentary business to be transacted

A new era will begin tomorrow when the new Parliament elected in the 15th General Election on Nov. 19, 2022 will meet for seven weeks till the end of March to give substance to the hopes of a better Malaysia that have propelled the country for the last two-and-a-half months.

Now, it is time to translate the hopes to reality.

Parliament had met for two days in December to elect the new Speaker and two Deputy Speakers as well as to pass a vote of confidence on the 10th Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim.

But by the end of the seven-week Parliament at the end of March, Malaysia cannot live on hopes alone, and there must be evidence that a better Malaysia is taking shape, and that the “masyarakat madani” under the Anwar unity government is one that can unite a very polarised Malaysia with many ethnicities, languages, and cultures under Rukun Negara and under the theme “Unity in Diversity”, and to make Malaysia a first-rate world-class nation guided by democracy, the rule of law, good governance, anti-corruption, and a global economic, education, and social system.

I have been in the DAP for 58 years, starting when I was a young man, with dreams for a fair, just, and united plural Malaysia.

When I was in school in the fifties, we were educated to be Malayans, and then Malaysians, and not just to be Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, and Dayaks.

We will continue to be Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, and Dayaks, which is our ethnic identity. We will also continue to be Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, or Christians, which is our religious identity. But we have a common national identity as Malaysians.

Malaysia can only be great if we can unite as Malaysians, combining the strength of our diverse ethnic, religious, linguistic, and cultural identities to make Malaysia a world-class nation for the good of the people and the world.

Much is expected of the 15th Parliament in its seven-week meeting.

First, there must be Parliamentary reform to enable the Malaysian Parliament to play its full role in the system of government as envisioned in the Malaysian Constitution — the doctrine of separation of powers among the Executive, Parliament, and the Judiciary.

I propose Parliamentary reform to include introducing Opposition Days where the Opposition will decide the Parliamentary business to be transacted — a provision of two days of Opposition Days for longer Parliamentary meetings and a one-day Opposition Day for shorter parliamentary meetings.

As the Opposition Leader has been given ministerial status, there should be a Ministerial statement in Parliament as to why Muhyiddin Yassin or Awang Hadi is not the Opposition Leader, and how they could aspire to the next Prime Minister if they are not prepared to undertake the responsibilities of an Opposition Leader.

Hadi had made a very serious allegation against the DAP outside Parliament — that the DAP is anti-Malay, anti-Islam, communist, and promoting Islamophobia which reflect on the Malaysian Government and five state governments as DAP is part of the Malaysian Government and five state governments.

Hadi was Special Envoy to the Middle East to “backdoor” Prime Ministers but he had never reported to the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) Islamophobia Observatory which conducts a global and daily monitoring of Islamophobia that there is Islamophobia in Malaysia.

Is Hadi prepared to repeat his allegations against the DAP in Parliament and substantiate his allegations