KUALA LUMPUR: DAP supports the memorandum of understanding with opposition lawmakers as a means of ensuring political stability and preventing attempts to bring down the government.
Its secretary-general Anthony Loke said the confidence and supply agreement (CSA) had been discussed and agreed upon by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) Presidential Council.
Loke said the agreement was intended to secure parliamentary cooperation on matters such as the 2027 Budget and did not mean that opposition MPs who signed it would become part of the government.
“They remain in the opposition. It does not mean they are joining the government,” he told a press conference after officiating at the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territories DAP annual convention today.
He said DAP supported the agreement because it could help prevent political instability and allow the government to continue carrying out its responsibilities.
Loke said the memorandum was not restricted to Bersatu MPs and remained open to other opposition lawmakers who wished to participate.
“It is not limited to Bersatu MPs. It is also open to any other opposition MP,” he said.
He added that the government’s willingness to negotiate with opposition MPs was not a new development.
Loke referred to the political instability Malaysia experienced in 2020, saying the government wanted to avoid a recurrence of similar events.
He compared the arrangement with the memorandum signed between PH and the administration of former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Loke said PH’s decision to enter into the earlier agreement did not mean that the coalition supported Ismail Sabri politically or had joined his administration.
Instead, he said, the memorandum was intended to ensure stability and prevent attempts to bring down the government through political manoeuvres.
He said DAP was approaching the present agreement in the same spirit.
Loke also reiterated the party’s position that constituency allocations for MPs should be institutionalised rather than handled solely through political negotiations.
He said such arrangements should form part of a more structured parliamentary system.
His remarks follow the signing of the CSA by 13 opposition MPs, which the government has described as a positive development for political stability.
The agreement involved six Bersatu MPs, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and six independent MPs who had previously declared support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The six Bersatu MPs were Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (Pagoh), Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin (Putrajaya), Datuk Ali Biju (Saratok), Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah (Langkawi), Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (Merbok) and Datuk Azman Nasrudin (Padang Serai).
The six independent MPs were Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang), Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Zahari Kechik (Jeli) and Datuk Dr Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan).