BERSIH names Ismail Sabri best M’sia PM since 2009; Unity Govt gets a ‘D’ grade

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH), Malaysia’s electoral watchdog, presented its performance “report card” for the nation’s prime ministers since 2009 during a public forum titled “Have We Achieved Change? Two Years of Unity Government, Eight Years After Bersih 5.”

Ismail Sabri emerged as the best among five leaders evaluated, including Anwar Ibrahim, Muhyiddin Yassin, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and Najib Razak.

The group praised Ismail’s administration for reforms introduced during his tenure, such as equal development funds for opposition MPs and bipartisan support for the anti-hopping law and the lowering of the voting age to 18, achieved through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pakatan Harapan (PH).

In contrast, the unity government led by Anwar Ibrahim received criticism for its slow pace in enacting reforms.

Ismail Sabri, Malaysia’s ninth prime minister, served from August 2021 to October 2022, completing a one-year term.

Bersih chairman Faisal Abdul Aziz on Tuesday (19 November) said the government has failed to deliver on the promises made by its coalition partners, PH and Barisan Nasional (BN).

“There are four common promises in both PH and BN manifestos that remain unfulfilled. Anwar himself was the leader of PH when these promises were made,” Faisal said.

Calls for Urgent Reforms

Bersih urged Anwar’s administration to act swiftly as it approaches the midway point of its term, citing reforms such as the Parliamentary Services Act, Political Financing Act, and Fixed Term Parliament Act as critical.

It also advocated a 10-year prime ministerial term limit and the separation of roles between the attorney-general and public prosecutor.

While Bersih acknowledged Anwar’s willingness to engage with civil society, including a historic meeting with the group earlier this year, it noted the lack of significant progress since.

“The lack of significant reforms under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is perplexing, particularly given that the Unity Government enjoys a strong parliamentary majority.”

“With such a grip on power with no immediate threats to his premiership, there should be no excuses for failing to address low-hanging fruits and at least initiate steps towards major reforms,” the report stated, contrasting this with the achievements of Ismail and Mahathir during their shorter, more fragile administrations.

Opposition Criticism

Bersih also criticised the opposition coalition, Perikatan Nasional, for failing to adopt a constructive approach as a check on the government.

Bersih acknowledged several challenges faced by Malaysia’s opposition coalition, including structural disadvantages such as unequal distribution of Constituency Development Funds (CDF) and limited opportunities to influence parliamentary time or introduce private members’ bills.

These obstacles, the report noted, underscore the need for parliamentary reforms that opposition MPs should negotiate for through a potential memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Unity Government.

However, Bersih also called on the opposition to address its internal shortcomings. It criticised the coalition for lacking a structured Shadow Cabinet, a cohesive policy platform, consistent parliamentary participation, and inclusive representation.

The watchdog concluded its report by warning the unity government that time was running out to deliver reforms before the next general election, underscoring the urgency of legislative action.