Despite Distrust In Pm S Offer Harapan Says Rakyat S Suffering Comes First

---

 


Pakatan Harapan is taking into account the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic situation in considering a confidence and supply agreement (CSA) with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration, said DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.
He said Harapan cannot turn a blind eye to the people’s sufferings amid the Covid-19 pandemic and resolving them must take priority during these “desperate times” for Malaysia.
“Under such severe national crises, there is an urgent need to find common ground for the public good to win the battle against Covid-19 and the economic recession to save lives and livelihoods.
“Despite deep distrust at whether such promises of reforms will be delivered, Ismail Sabri’s proposals of reforms should be given consideration provided it possesses a set timeline for its execution and are accompanied by reforms in the economy and public healthcare,” Lim (above) said in a statement today.
He said the reforms should include an RM45 billion Economic Turnaround Plan and a waiver of interest during the bank loan moratorium period.
Lim also suggested a National Covid-19 Reset Plan in order to reduce deaths and infections.
There needs to be a whole-of-society approach towards reforms in politics, economy and public healthcare, he said, with the involvement of civil societies, in order to win the fight against Covid-19 and revive the beleaguered economy.
“Setting aside political interests to adopt a bipartisan approach is not easy, but we should be bold to try to save not only our young but also the future of our young,” Lim added.
Earlier, Malaysiakini reported that there are concerns within Harapan that the coalition would be mistakenly seen as legitimising all government actions with the CSA deal. 
Harapan top leaders – PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu – and Ismail Sabri had engaged in a negotiation process since last month.




Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob
In their first joint statement following the Aug 25 meeting, both parties said that they have agreed to strengthen the parliamentary institution, among others.
On Friday, Ismail Sabri in a statement announced that the cabinet had agreed to a list of seven institutional reforms.
In response to this, Harapan said that they were inclined to accept the memorandum of understanding offered by the prime minister, but subject to "improvements to the draft which needs to be refined by both sides before it is finalised."
Welcomes Sim's appointment
In a separate statement, Lim also welcomed the announcement from Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim’s appointment as the Covid-19 coordinator between the Penang state government and the federal government.
Lim said Penang has been unable to resolve the increase of infections and deaths of Covid-19 due to lack of resources and manpower for too long, despite the magnificent job from the frontliners.
Hence, Sim’s appointment was necessary to have a joint collaborative effort to stop the rise in Covid-19 infections in Penang, he said.
“The spread of Covid-19 in the community is very critical especially with the density of Penang residents living in closed areas.
“I would like to praise Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow for realising how serious the Covid-19 situation is in Penang and accepting my suggestion to resolve this issue by appointing Sim as the Covid-19 coordinator to enable us to win this fight against Covid-19 together,” Lim added.
Sim has a huge task ahead, he said, but with support from Khairy and Chow as well as the experts from the private sectors, a revamp on how to manage Covid-19 may succeed, he added. - Mkini

---