KOTA KINABALU: Senator Datuk Noraini Idris has expressed full support for Deputy Prime Minister Dato Sri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s proposal that the Fixed-Term Parliament Act be enacted.
She said that although the proposal is still in the detailed study stage before being presented in the lower house, all parties should view it as a positive suggestion aimed at maintaining the lifespan of the House of Representatives in Parliament to ensure political stability in the country.
“The proposal for the Fixed-Term Parliament Act is to ensure that the government’s lifespan will be secure for up to five years. In the same situation, political stability within the ruling bloc with sufficient support for up to five years is necessary,” she said when we met here on Saturday.
According to Noraini, who is also the Penampang Umno women’s chief, this fixed-term act can address the issue of parliament dissolving before its term is completed and prevent it from happening.
“The purpose of the Fixed-Term Parliament Act is not to prevent Members of Parliament from ‘crossing the floor,’ but rather to maintain the parliamentary term and limit the Prime Minister’s power to dissolve Parliament,” she said.
Noraini stated that the Fixed-Term Parliament Act is certainly not a desperate measure to maintain the current government but should be done to respect the electoral mandate and democratic process.
“If there are attempts from involved parties to overthrow the government outside the democratic channels and elections, it will undoubtedly create political instability in the country and hinder all development, economic, and political stability plans,” Noraini explained.
She added that many countries practice a fixed-term parliament with an agreed timeline for elections to ensure political and economic stability and prevent any attempts to seize power that could harm the democratic system.
