LETTERS: Kluang Member of Parliament, Liew Chin Tong has urged Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to foster goodwill for bipartisanship.
He asked the government to engage the opposition constructively "as today's government may be tomorrow's opposition."
But does he know what bipartisanship means in the broader aspect of protecting people's lives and livelihoods?
He should really give credit where it is due. Take for instance, the practice of appointing an MP from the opposition to lead the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
PAC is now in the process of probing discrepancies on three new issues raised by its governance, procurement and finance investigation committee, namely RM5 billion land swaps under the Ministry of Defence, the Automated Enforcement System (AES) under the Transport Ministry and the iBestariNet project from 2011 to 2019 under the Education Ministry.
All lawmakers were invited to a briefing to give their views on the 2021 Budget before it was presented in Parliament last month.
All were invited, including the opposition bloc. This is the first time the opposition was consulted in the run-up to the budget presentation.
When the opposition demanded "refinements" in the budget, it was duly carried out by the government, reflecting the PN government's bipartisan efforts and willingness to be flexible, adaptable and listen to criticisms made by MPs.
The refinements were positive as more Malaysians could benefit from the budget and restart the economy.
The opposition should work together with the government to achieve common goals to protect the people's lives and livelihoods for a resilient economic recovery, instead of criticising just for the sake of it.
Lokman Harun
Batu Pahat, Johor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times