PUTRAJAYA: Perikatan Nasional rejected the draft of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on opposition allocation on four grounds including its potential misinterpretation, a Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Supreme Council member said.
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, who is also the PN education bureau head, also claimed that the MoU is contrary to the principles in the Federal Constitution; conflicts with culture, moral, and religious values; is prone to abuse to power as well as restricting the MPs' freedom of speech.
The Indera Mahkota MP added that these four grounds are 'fundamental' issues which the opposition will not compromise.
"This is because these four issues are contrary to the values and principles that define or give meaning to what Malaysia is and our national identity as its people," he said in a statement today.
Saifuddin claimed that the MoU will open the door for some parties to question the core of the Constitution, such as the position of Islam as well as the special privelleges of the Malays and Bumiputera.
He also claimed that the MoU would undermine policies aimed at protecting and improving the welfare of the Malays and Bumiputera areas such as education and economy.
Saifuddin added that MoU opens the door for authorities to interpret issues according to their political preferences, such as raising 3R (monarchy, ethnicity, religion) issues.
"The MoU adds unnecessary regulations concerning the conduct of MPs, even though existing laws already cover these matters. This will diminish existing freedom of speech.
"Therefore, accepting this MoU is a dangerous step. It will not only undermine national identity but also threaten the foundations and spirit of parliamentary democracy in our country," he said.
It was reported yesterday that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof furnished proof to counter claims made by the opposition leader about the draft of the MoU on allocations for opposition MPs.
Fadillah, who is tasked with handling the negotiations on the MoU, also rejected the claim by Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, who cited conditions that allegedly jeopardise the Constitution.
"By revealing this MoU (drafts), the people could evaluate how all the claims made by the opposition leader (Hamzah) about the drafts were absolutely without basis," Fadillah said.