THE meeting between Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Pakatan Harapan leaders yesterday has the potential to be the catalyst in changing the country’s political landscape, DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke said.

Loke, who is also Seremban MP, said the meeting should also be followed by reforms in the government as well as in Parliament.

“The old paradigm where the government party sees the opposition party as a mere political enemy or vice versa needs to be shifted and changed,” Loke said in a statement.

“Both parties have their respective roles and there needs to be cooperation, even if we compete with each other in elections.”

He added the challenge for both parties now is how to achieve the understanding agreed upon in the meeting.

“I am quite confident that if both sides take a step back, we have ample room to reach an understanding that will have a long-term positive impact on our country.”

“We have a responsibility to restore the people’s confidence in our country’s political system and we must provide the leadership, so let’s do it together,” Loke said.

Ismail, in a statement yesterday after an hour-long meeting with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, said the agenda was to ensure the people’s wellbeing.

They agreed to work together to strengthen the parliamentary institution and for the executive to function transparently to effectively serve the people.

They also agreed on the importance of judiciary independence and institutional reforms.

They said the meeting was a follow-up to the advice by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for all political parties to work together to ease political tensions. – August 26, 2021.