Bersih, C4 Center, Ideas, Projek Sama, Pusat Komas, and Transparency International Malaysia said further political instability will kill off the institutional reforms they are calling for.

“Because no party wins forever, institutional reform benefits all parties in the long run and should be supported by all,” they said in a joint statement.

“On this basis, we reject any mid-term change of government through the back door, like the Sheraton Move that threw the country’s politics into disarray in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Even if there is a change of government, the new administration may lack the clarity or commitment to implement institutional reform, or may be too fragile to undertake any meaningful change.

“We want to see the implementation of institutional reforms that will provide a level playing field for all parties in the 16th general election.”

Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported Hamzah as claiming at a press conference that several NGOs had approached him expressing unhappiness with the current government.

“They are unhappy, and when they are not happy, then there is a motivation to ‘turun’ (join) the rally this Saturday.

“Many will be joining the rally, so do not be mad at us. The rakyat want to protest because many problems have been accumulating,” the Perikatan Nasional deputy chairman said.

However, the NGOs said their meeting with Hamzah on July 1 had nothing to do with any political rally, and that they only sought to present their proposals on institutional reform and not to endorse any political campaign.

They urged the opposition to play its role as “effective competition” with the government to push for more institutional reforms.

“(Reforms) require not only the determination of the Madani government, but also effective competition from the opposition, including the four states under PN, in terms of ideas and commitment, to the fullest extent of their power.

“It is only when all parties are racing to offer reforms can reform be driven and steered effectively,” they said.