Anwar says govt open to disclosing CSA contents

On the matter of the Confidence and Supply Agreement (CSA) with opposition parties, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed his openness to disclosing its contents. The agreement, Anwar emphasized, was not confidential and was built on the same principles as a prior memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the opposition. This stance was communicated to reporters following a request from Pas secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan for the government to make the CSA details public.

Anwar's response came amid criticism from the opposition, particularly from Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, the president of the opposition party. Hadi had labeled the proposed agreement as a "dajjal agreement," a term with religious connotations. Anwar took issue with Hadi's choice of words, urging the religious scholar to exercise greater restraint in his public statements. Anwar reminded Hadi that as a religious figure, his words should be more measured, especially when dealing with religious terminology.

Anwar also addressed the opposition's criticism of the agreement itself. He noted that under Perikatan Nasional, a similar arrangement had been proposed, involving Pas along with other parties led by Pas figures Takiyuddin and Hamzah Zainudin. Anwar questioned the opposition's inconsistency, asking why the same arrangement was deemed acceptable when proposed by Perikatan Nasional but deemed inappropriate now.

Anwar strongly opposed the use of religious language as a means to disparage political positions or agreements, emphasizing that such actions trivialize religion.