Loke: Ismail Sabri must take his stand as PM, not a party leader
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to make decisions as Malaysia's number one leader, instead of his capacity as Umno's vice president.
The Seremban MP said that Ismail Sabri should take advantage of the opportunities available to him from the unique political situation Malaysia has been in over the past year to implement more reforms to strengthen the country's democratic system in the remainder of his term.
"In the last 12 months, where there was a formal understanding between the government and the Opposition, various legislative reforms — including amendments to the Federal Constitution — were realised. Such situations were never enjoyed by any previous administrations.
"If Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri dares to fight the tide and fend off all internal political pressures, he will be able to implement reforms that have long-term positive implications for our country and society," he said in a statement this morning.
Loke then continued to list five agendas that could be implemented soon to rebuild public confidence in Malaysia's political system, sharing that some of these agendas have already been given a commitment in principle by Ismail Sabri.
Among the agendas listed are limiting the prime minister's term to a maximum of 10 years, formulating the Political Funding, Constituency Development Fund, and Fixed-Term Parliament Acts, and amending the Federal Constitution to separate the powers of the attorney general and prosecutors.
"Many more reforms need to be implemented in the future to build the strength of the administrative system of our country.
"I am sure that all Malaysians dream of a Malaysia moving forward by focusing on the principle of the doctrine of segregation of powers to ensure that the rule of law is always secured and a judicial system free from any outside influence
"In the spirit of National Day, let us all stand firm under the banner of the Jalur Gemilang and temporarily forget the flags of our respective parties to achieve greater heights for the benefit of the country," he said.
Ismail Sabri has been under enormous pressure by his party, Umno — where he is a vice president — to call for an early general election (GE15).
Umno President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid was seen riling up Umno delegates at the recent Umno Special General Assembly on August 27 to implore Ismail Sabri to give in to party whims, amid massive booing from the crowd when the former mentioned the latter's name.
Ismail Sabri recently conceded that he is in a dilemma over whether GE15 should be held this year or in 2023, in addition to ensuring a win for his party Umno and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
He pointed out that solving domestic issues such as the Ministry of Defence’s littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal — which implicated members of his party — and the implementation of the minimum wage took precedence over the election, suggesting that the date of GE15 may yet be pushed further.
On the flip side, the Bera MP said he is also considering the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) warning that economic growth will not be as strong in 2023, and therefore it would be unwise to hold an election during an economic recession.
