06/01/2026
This joint-statement is endorsed by Agora Society.
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𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗣𝗦𝗦𝗖 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿
The year 2026 is, by and large, the fourth year of the 15th Parliament, which started on Dec 19, 2022, and of the Madani government, which started on Nov 24, 2022.
This leaves Malaysia less than 24 months to achieve whatever institutional reforms in the 15th Parliament and the Madani government, even if they serve their full term till Dec 18, 2027.
Unfortunately, reforms have often become the subject of intensive fearmongering, smearing, and even ethno-religious demonisation, resulting in many reforms being either abandoned or watered down, when reasonable win-win solutions could have been sought.
Abandoning reforms not only causes the public to distrust parties and political leaders in power. It would likely also hurt the opposition party and political leaders when they come into power next and encounter stronger public demands for reforms.
In this age of social media, separate closed-door consultations between the government and different stakeholders in solo – the current practice - cannot effectively shield the government and the intended reform from populist and cynical attacks, some of which may even originate from overseas.
Any backtrack under attack by the government would not only weaken its authority, but it might bury the reform for decades and further fuel public frustration.
In 2026, we urge the Madani government to adopt a bold strategy of public engagement, getting proponents of a reform to talk to its opponents and bystanders, for every concerned individual and group to take ownership of the reform, instead of blaming the government for doing too little or too much.
For each reform for which a broad national consensus has yet to be built, the government can facilitate public and cross-partisan deliberation with some of these instruments:
𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿, 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆;
White paper, in which the government explains its favoured reform proposal to invite public responses; and
Parliamentary special select committee, in which the draft bill or policy is finetuned before being put to a vote by Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara.
In 2026, we look forward to the completion or commencement of these 10 reforms with the meaningful instrument of public and cross-partisan deliberation:
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲 (𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹)
A 10-year term limit for the prime minister, necessitating an amendment to Article 43 of the Federal Constitution;
Reform of the MACC Act, to enable parliamentary oversight in the nomination of the MACC chief commissioner and via an annual report by the MACC for parliamentary debate; and
Reform of the Election Commission (EC), necessitating an amendment to Articles 113-114 of the Federal Constitution, to enable parliamentary oversight in the nomination of the seven election commissioners and via an annual report by the EC for parliamentary debate.
These may be assigned to a new purpose-built special (ad-hoc) select committee or the Parliamentary Standing Select Committee on Human Rights, Elections and Institutional Reforms.
𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 (𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹)
The separation of the attorney-general and public prosecutor roles, necessitating an amendment to Article 145 of the Federal Constitution, after extensive research and consultations undertaken by the prime minister’s Legal Affairs Bureau;
The Political Financing Act, with a component of public funding, after much research and consultations led by the bureau and the preparation of a draft bill by the All Parties Parliamentary Group Malaysia (APPGM) on Political Financing since 2024;
While stakeholder and expert consultations have been carried out on the above matters, the public and all parliamentarians deserve to know the government’s proposal before any bill is bulldozed through Parliament.
𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 (𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀)
The need and viability of absentee voting facility – which can be postal voting, distant early voting or in other forms – for voters in Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan, and the peninsula who have to be away from their region on polling day;
The demand for, desirability of and proposal for the expansion of Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara seats and their allocation to Sarawak, Sabah, 11 peninsular states and the three federal territories;
The equitable allocation of Constituency Development Fund for all elected representatives regardless of party affiliation at both the federal and state levels;
Attaining a minimum of 30 percent women representation for Dewan Rakyat and the 13 state legislatures via innovations in the electoral process, electoral system or public funding; and
Democratic representation and elected government for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.
Green papers mean that the government does not commit itself to any proposal or position but facilitates public deliberation by structuring the debate to a few viable options for benefit and cost considerations.
This is useful to advance reforms without imposing any solution before a broad-based consensus emerges.
Looking back, we register our appreciation for the Madani government and the support of all parliamentarians from various parties on the attainment of the following institutional and legal reforms since November 2022:
The abolition of the Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023, in force since July 4, 2023;
The Public Finance and Fiscal Responsibility Act 2023, in force since Jan 1, 2024;
The amendment of Articles 15, 15A and 26 and the Second Schedule of the Federal Constitution, primarily to expand citizenship to overseas-born children of Malaysian mothers, passed by Dewan Rakyat on Oct 17, 2024, yet to come into force;
The Malaysian Media Council Act 2025, in force since June 14, 2025;
The Parliamentary Service Act 2025 and the amendment of Articles 56-57 of the Federal Constitution – granted royal assent on July 9, 2025, yet to be implemented; and
The strengthening of parliamentary select committees by making these ministry-focused committees permanent and expanding the maximum membership of each committee from nine to 12, with the amendment of the Dewan Rakyat Standing Order on Aug 12, 2025.
Madani govt must adopt a bold strategy of public engagement.
