After cost of living, look into institutional, parliamentary reforms, activists urge Anwar

SHAH ALAM - Bersih electoral reform activists have urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to look into parliamentary, electoral and institutional reforms after focusing on cost of living issues.

Bersih Chairperson Thomas Fann said that the main focus of Bersih is to ensure institutional reforms, and he believes that it is important for Anwar to fulfill many of the reforms he promised in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) manifesto.

"Given that he (Anwar) is leading a unity government that includes several coalitions and parties, it is even more important that parliament be reformed so that various government backbenchers and opposition MPs have meaningful roles to play in special select committees," he told Sinar Daily.

Fann also hopes Anwar will reform the Election Commission to be an independent body.

"It needs to look into more effective ways to allow people to vote by post or advance voting, as well as prepare to re-delineate electoral boundaries so that it is more in line with the guidelines of the Federal Constitution," he added.

He agreed that the prime minister had already taken an immediate step to have a meeting to discuss the cost of living issue, but it doesn't mean that he shouldn't start the process of institutional reforms.

He said institutional reforms would give Anwar's government greater stability and accountability as "without these, it would be difficult for Anwar to focus on the business of governing the country."

Meanwhile, former 2.0 Bersih Chairman Maria Chin Abdullah agreed that Anwar must carry out institutional and parliamentary reforms, including electro-reforms.

"This country needs to have 'unity thinking,' how to unite us as a multi-racial, multi-religious country to overcome the divineness that is happening," she said.

On zero poverty, she said a 'social inclusion' commission needs to be set up to get people out of the poverty cycle.

On Saturday, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim chaired the 2022 National Action Council on Cost of Living Special Meeting which was attended by government departments and agencies to discuss the cost of living issues affecting the people.