KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) and Dewan Perdagangan Islam Malaysia (DPIM) hope that the 105 opposition members of Parliament would take a pragmatic approach in considering any offer from the new government.
In a joint statement today, MCCC and DPIM said Malaysia needs a cross-party pact to both sustain the government for a minimum of 12-18 months and significantly improve the quality of policymaking and implementation.
“Without political stability and better governance, Malaysia will lag behind neighbouring countries in the post Covid-19 recovery, which may push back our economic strength by one generation,” they said.
Both chambers of commerce agree that Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s “Malaysian Family” approach could only materialise with a cross-party pact that ensures political stability and improves policy governance.
They called for parliamentary reform and a Federal-State Council on Economic Recovery and Health that includes the opposition, state governments, experts and stakeholders from businesses and society.
Both chambers of commerce also urged Ismail to continue the efforts of former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin to reach a peace plan with the opposition with an even bolder package.
They called for the setting up of a parliamentary special select committee to provide legislative oversight on every ministry, and to allow multiple entry points for voices of businesses and society to be heard.
“It is equally vital to set up a federal-state council in charge of public health and economic recovery,” they said.
“Chaired by the prime minister, with the parliamentary opposition leader as the deputy chair, with all 13 mentris besar/chief ministers, this would send a clear message to the market that the political stalemate is over,” they said.
Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/08/22/business-groups-call-for-18-month-pact-to-back-new-govt/