MELAKA: Confidence and supply agreements began as a political practice in 2021 under a Cabinet that PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man was part of, says government spokesman Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi said the first confidence and supply agreement (CSA) was signed in 2021, when Tuan Ibrahim was in the Cabinet under Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s tenure as former prime minister.
"This culture began when he was in the Cabinet. So what is he talking about?
"The Cabinet that he joined was the one that started this culture," he told reporters after the “Safe Internet” campaign at Multimedia University (MMU) in Bukit Beruang here on Sunday (Nov 1).
Tuan Ibrahim was the former environment and water minister under the government which signed the 2021 agreement with Pakatan Harapan.
Fahmi said there was nothing wrong with such agreements, adding that they did not breach any law.
"It builds understanding and, to me, creates a stable situation, giving priority to the people as well as institutional reforms.
"If something good can come out of it, why should it be opposed?" he said.
Fahmi said Tuan Ibrahim’s colleagues were welcome to sign if they wished.
"If he has friends who want to sign this, we are open. We will not stop anyone," he said.
On Thursday, the government signed a CSA with six Bersatu MPs led by party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and seven other MPs, including Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
Fahmi said after the Cabinet meeting on Friday that the agreement was open to any MP who wished to sign it.
Earlier, Tuan Ibrahim said the CSA cannot be a new political norm as it disregards the people's electoral choice and could encourage abuse of power to secure support.
He said the government should instead allocate funds to all members of Parliament elected by the people, regardless of their party affiliation or whether they sit in government or opposition.
“For me, if the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, acts fairly towards all members of Parliament, it would be a form of the reform that has long been advocated,” he told Sinar Harian on Sunday (Nov 1).
