44 Civil Society Groups Demand 15th Parliament Serve Full Term Until Dec 2027 to Complete Reform Agenda

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 — A coalition of 44 civil society organisations and 25 prominent individuals has issued a joint declaration urging the 15th Parliament to serve out its complete mandate until December 18, 2027, ensuring the government has sufficient stability to execute crucial institutional and democratic reforms.

The non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civic leaders stated that the sitting Parliament should remain in session for its full five-year duration, unless the ruling administration loses the confidence of the majority of Members of Parliament.

To establish political stability and consensus, the group called on the executive leadership to engage with both sides of the august House through a structured, multi-party dialogue platform.

“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should convene a cross-party leaders’ summit involving all government and opposition parties represented in Parliament to formulate a joint agenda for the remaining parliamentary term,” the joint statement read.

The joint declaration was endorsed by prominent advocacy groups, including Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek SAMA), the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center), the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM), Pertubuhan IKRAM Malaysia (IKRAM), Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM), and the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH).

Among the key constitutional amendments championed by the coalition are separating the roles of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor to guarantee prosecutorial independence, alongside setting a strict 10-year term limit on the office of the Prime Minister.

The signatories also urged the Federal Government to table the Ombudsman Act and the Freedom of Information Act, as well as enact statutory guarantees ensuring equitable Constituency Development Allocations (CDA) for all MPs, regardless of political affiliation.

On democratic and electoral overhaul, the group called for comprehensive amendments to the Election Offences Act 1954 and the expansion of postal and absentee voting mechanisms for overseas Malaysians and citizens living outside their home states.

Furthermore, the declaration emphasized strengthening parliamentary select committees, streamlining the national budget review and drafting process, and establishing dedicated legislative channels to debate and pass Private Members’ Bills.

The group stressed that all political coalitions should unite behind the institutional reform agenda, noting that establishing a transparent, level playing field will benefit all future governments regardless of political realignment.

At the sub-national level, the coalition urged all 13 state governments to enact statutory provisions providing fair, transparent, and accountable development funding to all state assemblymen (ADUNs).

To enhance electoral representation, the group proposed reforming the state-level first-past-the-post system by introducing a party-list proportional representation model, alongside targeted measures to increase the legislative representation of women, youth, Orang Asli, and other minority ethnic groups.

Finally, the coalition called on both federal and state authorities to provide advance public notice of planned dissolution dates if polls are triggered early, allowing voters, the Election Commission, law enforcement, and civil services adequate time to prepare.

–NMT