Govt-Opposition MOU crucial to passed policies such anti-party hopping law, says Amanah Info Chief

SHAH ALAM – The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the government and Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition is crucial to enable key policies and laws to be passed such as the much-touted anti hoping law, said Amanah information chief Khalid Samad.

The Shah Alam MP said the MoU is a much needed by-partisan approach to ensure there is enough support across the political aisle to get such laws passed in the Dewan Rakyat.

“In order for the anti-hopping law to be passed, we need a two-thirds majority. There is no way we can get a two-third majority without having something like the MOU

So all those that have been criticizing the MOU lose sight of this fact because you can't get the anti hoping law passed and implemented if you don’t get a two-thirds majority and the only way you get a two-thirds majority is when you took a bi-partisan approach and to get enough support and to pass the law,’’ he said in an exclusive interview with Sinar Daily.

The MOU was signed on September 13 last year between the Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri’s new administration and PH with the objective to bring in a period of political stability and economic recovery.

Dubbed the “Memorandum of Understanding on Political Stability and Transformation”, the MOU was signed in the spirit of “deliberative democracy” where deliberations between all parties were essential in the decision-making processes.

Khalid however stressed that the MOU is not a statement of unequivocal support by the opposition to the government.

“The MOU is also misunderstood. It is not a statement of support for the current government because it is very different from a CSA (confident and supply agreement) where it is used by a minority government.

“What we do is that we have an MOU, they don't need our support to remain as the government but what we want from the government, we (the opposition) want to implement some policies we feel are very important which includes the question of the anti-hopping law,’’ he said.

In this sit-down interview with Sinar Daily’s first-ever Fireside chat, where the publication will host a multitude of key opinion leaders, lawmakers and other colourful personalities, Khalid took the opportunity to express his views on the current political situation and how the last three years have been “extremely interesting” within Malaysia’s political calendar.