THE country’s current political reality requires an innovative solution such as a confidence and supply agreement (CSA) in order to move forward, said professor Wong Chin Huat.

He said the CSA should not be disregarded as an effective tool to stabilise politics in the country.

“We have to acknowledge that we are now in uncharted waters. That means we can no longer play by the old playbook,” said the Sunway University-based academic.

He added that the current instability cannot be solved by simply having a new prime minister who will then have to face similar issues throughout their administration, he said.

He said politicians have to be realistic in acknowledging that the country needs political stability which then enables further reforms that the country needs.

A CSA is an arrangement in a hung parliament, in which an opposition party agrees not to vote against a minority government in votes of confidence or budgetary matters but reserves the right to oppose other legislation.

“Having a prime minister changing every 12 to 15 months is not doing any service to the country in terms of institutional reforms,” Wong said during a Webinar hosted by Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia titled Political Stability In A Time of Covid.

The webinar also featured academic and columnist Prof Tajuddin Rasdi and Hakam President Gurdial Singh Nijar, who had both dismissed the use of the CSA as a political tool to ensure the stability of the current Perikatan Nasional government.

Wong said even if a new prime minister comes to power, CSA will always be a relevant option as long as there is no stable government.

“When we talk about whether we should have a CSA or new prime minister or not, I personally think that as long as no government can be solidly formed, even with a new prime minister, CSA needs to be part of the deal,” he said.

He said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin can also secure his position through a CSA, which will reduce the threat of internal sabotage.

“Let’s say that the prime minister is able to garner support from one or two opposition parties, which is equivalent to over 40 seats, for the CSA.

“This will weaken the negotiating power of Umno, which commands 39 seats, hence making Muhyiddin’s position more secure.”

A successful CSA will prevent Muhyiddin from conceding too many concessions to his coalition partners, which may be good for the country, he added.

The political scientist disagreed with the notion that a CSA undermines the country’s parliamentary democracy and argued that it can actually help with achieving positive reforms.

He said opposition parties can take the opportunity to demand certain reforms in exchange for their support for the Budget Bill.

“Some parties like DAP and Muda, have demanded reforms such as equal funding for constituencies allocation for all parties. That can easily be included in the budget.”

Several members of the opposition, including DAP’s Liew Chin Tong and Muda’s Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, have been pushing for the CSA to be signed ahead of the Budget 2021 voting this session.

Among the demands rumoured to be part of the CSA includes equal funding for all parliamentarians, totalling RM3.8 million.

“If the government fails to accommodate then all these parties need to do is just vote down the bill.”

However, Wong admitted that some institutional reforms cannot be achieved immediately.

“Say if you want parliamentary reforms or to rewrite its Standing Orders, what you can do now is to demand a more balanced appointment of Select Committee members as a start. How well they perform is a later matter.

“The key point in a CSA is that your opponent needs your help to survive. You can use that opportunity to your advantage.

“The problem is that our parliament is not yet properly reformed. Not even under Pakatan Harapan. This is far more important than worrying about who can be the next prime minister.”

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah earlier last week advised all politicians to support Budget 2021 in light of the Covid-19 pandemic as the funds are crucial for medical supplies and front-liners.

On Saturday, Muhyiddin also urged all political parties to put aside their differences and come together to vote for the budget to fight the pandemic. – November 4, 2020.