Bersih gives unity govt ‘D’ grade, says Ismail best PM since 2009

Bersih says the unity government’s grade reflects its limited progress in carrying out reforms, as well as the gap between its rhetoric and action.

(FMT) – Electoral watchdog Bersih has given the unity government a “D” grade for its performance in the two years since its formation and ranked Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the best prime minister since 2009.

Bersih chairman Faisal Abdul Aziz said the unity government’s grade reflected its limited progress in carrying out reforms as well as the gap between its rhetoric and action.

“We believe that a post-election coalition government should not be an excuse to abandon all reform promises made in the manifestos of Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional.

“This is especially so given the fact that there are four common major promises in both the BN and PH manifestos — which show they are in agreement — that have not been fully implemented.

“Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim himself was the leader of PH when these promises were made to voters,” he said when presenting Bersih’s “report card” on the government’s performance here tonight.

The group also ranked Ismail as the best among five prime ministers, including Anwar, Muhyiddin Yassin, Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Najib Razak.

It ranked Mahathir, when he led the PH government, in second spot, followed by Anwar, Muhyiddin and then Najib.

Its report said reforms were pushed through by Ismail’s administration, including the allocation of equal development funds to the opposition, through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with PH.

It added that the MoU’s signing led to bipartisan support for the passing of key reforms such as the anti-hopping law and lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18.

“The lack of significant reforms under Anwar is perplexing, particularly given that the unity government enjoys a strong parliamentary majority.

“With such a grip on power, and with no immediate threats to his premiership, there should be no excuses for failing to address low-hanging fruits and at least initiate steps towards major reforms.

“Comparatively, previous governments with more fragile majorities, such as those led by Ismail and Mahathir, achieved more substantial reforms within their first two years.

“This disparity shows the issue lies not in parliamentary numbers but in political will,” said Bersih in its report.

It acknowledged the unity government’s efforts to empower parliamentary committees, but said these panels remained underfunded and understaffed.

Bersih also recognised Anwar’s willingness to engage with civil society, saying he was the first sitting prime minister to hold an engagement with the group, which took place earlier this year.

“In our meeting with the prime minister, we urged Anwar to make efforts to deliver, with a clear timeline and adequate resources, a list of outstanding reform pledges.

“Nine months have passed since our meeting with the prime minister and there is still no urgency or seriousness in pursuing major electoral, institutional and civil liberty reforms.”

Pointing out that the unity government was nearly reaching the midway point of its five-year term, Bersih warned the government that it did not have the luxury of time to carry out reforms.

It urged Anwar’s administration to enact several laws before the next nationwide polls, including the Parliamentary Services Act, Political Financing Act, Fixed Term Parliament Act, as well as a law on equal development funds for MPs.

Bersih also called for a 10-year term limit for the prime minister’s post, the separation of roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor to be sped up, and parliamentary oversight for key appointments, such as to the Election Commission and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

It also criticised Perikatan Nasional, saying the opposition coalition had failed to take a more constructive approach in its role as a check and balance on the government.