PETALING JAYA, July 6 — Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming said today more meaningful reforms could take place if the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the government and Pakatan Harapan (PH) is extended.

The DAP MP said the extension would give both sides more time to implement the reforms, if the 15th general election (GE15) can be pushed to July 2023.

"This means that we have one year from the end of the first MoU until the possible dissolution of Parliament to put forward more progressive agendas,” said Ong at a conference organised by Bersih and Bar Council today.

On March 10, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook said Pakatan Harapan is open to the idea of extending the MoU with the ruling coalition despite being critical of government policies.

Yesterday, Loke said that DAP is predicting that the general election will be held next year, not this year.

Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had previously dismissed the proposal for an extension, saying that Umno's stance is that the MoU should not extend beyond July this year.

In September last year, Putrajaya and PH inked an MoU to establish bipartisan cooperation covering the areas of strengthening the plan to fight Covid-19, transformation of the administration, Parliamentary reforms, ensuring judicial independence, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and formation of a steering committee.

Tan Sri Annuar Musa, who is on Umno's committee for negotiating and implementing the MoU, had last month insisted that the agreement has no "expiry date” and both sides have merely agreed against holding GE15 before July 31 this year.