Khairy: Barisan not well trusted, needs to get its act together

(The Star) – Former Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (pic) stressed that Barisan Nasional needs to get its act together to be a trustworthy opposition.

In a statement on his Facebook profile, the Rembau MP said the people had sent a strong message in GE14 to ensure that no government is ever immune to the wants of the people.

However, he admits that it will take time for Barisan to be accepted as a trustworthy opposition, given the huge trust deficit it bears.

“It is clear there is a trust deficit and most of us have jointly taken responsibility for the actions of the previous Government, myself included.

“But we need to soldier on as the opposition, regardless of that trust deficit.

“By doing so, the government’s every step can be meticulously checked in order to ensure a more efficient and honourable administration,” he said.

“We must step up to monitor the Pakatan Harapan Government, especially in Parliament to further strengthen this democratic institution that Malaysia has claimed,” he said.

Khairy issued a clarion call to his fellow Barisan lawmakers to prepare for the first Parliament seating after the 14th general election.

He suggests that the first task is to create a separation between Party obligations and the obligations of Barisan MPs to its peoples.

“The Barisan chairman does not necessarily need to be the opposition leader.

“Instead he could focus on restructuring the party.

“Other legislative duties can be shouldered by other team members within the party,” he said. He also suggested that a shadow cabinet be formed as soon as an opposition leader is selected.

“I know this has never happened before but in the spirit of a New Malaysia, we must change,” he said.

Khairy continues to say that Barisan should also be a responsible opposition and not simply “oppose for opposition’s sake”.

“Remember, Barisan still holds a majority in the Dewan Negara and any law needs to be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara,” he said.

He cited the example of the reintroduction of the Sales and Services Tax (SST).

“Although we may have different opinions about it, the Dewan Negara needs to pass it because without SST, the country’s revenue could be at stake,” he said.

He also hopes that the Pakatan-led Government would consider other changes, which were also mentioned in its manifesto.

This includes the formation of a Parliamentary Select Committee to review suggested bills, the formation of a temporary committee, the formation of a caucus, and sufficient time to be given to bring issues up for debate in the Dewan Rakyat.

He also thanked Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad for the RM100,000 allocation given to non-Pakatan MPs.

“We may not have received the same amount as our colleagues from Pakatan, but they have done better than us as there were no such allocations for the opposition when we were in power,” he said adding that he hopes that other Barisan representatives will be given the same amount.

Khairy added that in the spirit of New Malaysia, the people should not be punished for their choices.

“The Government can even implement strict conditions including monitoring and auditing systems in place to ensure there is no wastage of such allocations,” he said.