Govt signs CSA with Bersatu MPs, 7 other lawmakers

The government today signed a confidence and supply agreement (CSA) with six Bersatu MPs, led by party president Muhyiddin Yassin, plus seven others, including Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

The remaining six MPs comprise former Bersatu lawmakers who had previously pledged support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

They are Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjung Karang), Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), and Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan). 

Anwar confirmed the signing ceremony in Parliament on Facebook, with the government represented by Deputy Prime Minister II Fadilah Yusof, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said, and the prime minister’s senior political adviser Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.

Under the CSA, the MPs urged the government to limit the prime minister’s tenure and separate the roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor before the end of its term, and to receive equal constituency development funds as government backbenchers.

In return, the 13 opposition MPs will support Anwar’s administration until the end of the current parliamentary term and the 2027 budget.

A CSA is an arrangement in which opposition lawmakers agree to support a government on confidence motions and budget or supply bills, usually in exchange for policy commitments or other concessions.

In 2021, then prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s government signed a similar agreement with Pakatan Harapan, pledging reforms and not to dissolve Parliament before July 31, 2022, in exchange for Harapan’s support on Budget 2022 and confidence motions.

‘CSA does not eliminate opposition’s role’

Speaking to reporters after the signing, Muhyiddin said the agreement was intended to ensure political stability and allow the government to address issues affecting the public, particularly the economy and cost of living.

He stressed, however, that the agreement would not compromise Bersatu and the opposition’s role in holding the government accountable.

“We will continue to carry out our responsibility to check and balance. This agreement does not mean we are giving up that responsibility. We remain the opposition,” he said.

Muhyiddin said the agreement also provided for action if either party failed to honour its commitments, potentially resulting in its termination.

He added that the constituency allocations would be equal to those received by government MPs, which he understood to be approximately RM3 million annually.

“This is not about benefiting any party, but the country,” the Pagoh MP added.

When asked whether the agreement would have implications for Bersatu’s cooperation with Harapan in the upcoming Malacca state election or a possible CSA with Harapan in Selangor, Muhyiddin said those were separate matters.

Equal constituency funding

Meanwhile, Syed Saddiq described the agreement as an important step towards ensuring that constituency allocations were not distributed based on whether an MP supported the government.

“This is very important because we do not want a culture where parliamentary allocations are given to friends but withheld from opponents,” he said.

He said he had negotiated with the government eight times over the past two and a half years and welcomed the agreement, but urged the government to extend the same arrangement to all opposition MPs.

Syed Saddiq also called for the reforms outlined in the agreement to be passed in Parliament before the next general election, saying the aim was to ensure that the next administration would continue with the same agenda.

“I hope the same opportunity can be given to all opposition blocs, because fair and equitable allocations are the right of every parliamentary constituency,” he added.

The CSA comes amid continuing internal turmoil within Bersatu, which has seen several MPs lose their party membership or be expelled in recent years.

Previously, Berita Harian reported Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin as saying that suspended Bersatu MPs were not expected to attend the signing ceremony as they had not been invited or informed.

“I think the 13 Bersatu MPs who were suspended were not invited to attend the CSA signing ceremony,” she said.

Bersatu previously expelled or suspended MPs aligned with its former deputy president and Larut lawmaker Hamzah Zainudin after protracted infighting.

Hamzah subsequently formed a new party, Wawasan Negara, in June, with other former Bersatu MPs either joining or expressing support.

They include Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, Gerik MP Fathul Huzir Ayob, Padang Rengas MP Azahari Hasan, and Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

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