M'sians should reject govt's MOU on constituency funds - Muhyiddin

All Malaysians who love their country should reject the government’s draft MOU for Perikatan Nasional lawmakers, said the coalition’s chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin.

He reiterated his coalition’s objections that the MOU’s terms are unconstitutional and contrary to Malaysian values.

“To me, allocations for opposition MPs do not need to be done through any agreement or MOU.

“This is Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto promise during the 15th general election and the prime minister of the day is from a Harapan party,” Muhyiddin said in a statement today.

He said this after federal government chief whip Fadillah Yusof – who represented the government in negotiations on the MOU’s terms - made the terms of the draft MOU public, following PN’s decision to reject the MOU and openly criticise it.

The MOU seeks to impose rules on PN parliamentarians in exchange for constituency development funds.

Explaining his objections, Muhyiddin claimed the MOU contained a clause on race, religion, and the Malay rulers, where PN lawmakers were supposedly prohibited from speaking on those issues as it would be regarded as hate speech.

“This is not right. This country is built on mutual understanding between races, or social contract, that has become a part of the Federal Constitution which has special provision on racial rights, Islam, and the Malay rulers,” he said.

He said the provisions include Article 153 on the special position of Malays and bumiputera, Article 152 on the national language, and Articles 32 and 38 on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Conference of Rulers.

“What right does Harapan-BN have to stop PN parliamentarians from fighting for issues enshrined in the Federal Constitution by speaking up in the Dewan Rakyat?

“Does the Harapan-BN government want to erase the history of Malaysia’s formation as an independent country, topple the foundation of peaceful and harmonious nation-building, deny the special position of Malays and bumiputera and the legitimate rights of other races, and indirectly rewrite the Constitution through this MOU?” he asked.

Muhyiddin also claimed that the MOU’s clause ensuring non-discrimination based on “any other identity factor” would cover the LGBT community.

“Does it mean if PN parliamentarians agree with the draft MOU, they cannot oppose any law or policy that may be enacted by Harapan-BN in the future to allow LGBT acts?” he asked.

MOU clauses

For the record, there are two versions of the MOU.

The contents of both versions are substantially the same, but one is intended to be signed by individual PN parliamentarians, while the other is intended to be signed by PN as a coalition and would be binding on all its MPs.

The clauses referred to by Muhyiddin appear to be Clause 2.1 (i) and (j). These clauses, as worded in the version intended to be signed by the coalition, read:

“PN also acknowledges and is concerned by hate speech, racial and religious discrimination, and any form of incitement against the royal institutions including the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay rulers.

“PN also condemns all propaganda, misinformation, or any ideas intended to incite and cause racial, religious and/or cultural tensions as well as any form of discrimination, or causing hatred against the royal institutions and the Malay rulers, or any form of betrayal against the royal institutions and the Malay rulers.

“PN also acknowledges and states its commitment that each of its MPs shall refrain from making any statement and/or speech and/or any verbal or non-verbal act, that is hateful, or uses any language that belittles or discriminates any group or party whether on basis of religion, race, ethnicity, skin colour, origin, gender, nationality, or any other identify factor, or any form of communication that has the tendency to cause discrimination, hate, or violence against any party, or make any insults, betrayal, or the tendency to insult or betray the royal institutions and the Malay rulers”.

Bersih lists five reforms to include in govt-PN memorandum

Equal constituency fund should be law, not govt discretion - Bersih

'Let people judge': Fadillah reveals MOU terms

PN's rejection of draft MOU not necessarily end of talks, says Fahmi