in Jordan and the Sandigan Kuwait Domestic Workers Association, breaking the Search Archives  isolation of migrant domestic workers in the MENA region. (For IDWF news, see <www.idwfed.org>.) MALAYSIAN PARTIES SEEK TO END TURMOIL The Malaysian government and the Pakatan Harapan (PH-Alliance of Hope) opposition coalition have signed an agreement in parliament that is intended to bring to an end a year and a half of unseemly maneuvers that have done little to enhance the Malaysian public’s respect for politicians. It was veteran politician Mahathir Mohamad’s refusal to hand over the premiership to his coalition partner, Anwar Ibrahim, that precipitated a split in his own party and a series of defections between parties. Anwar tried desperately to muster a majority, but failed by a margin of two parliamentarians. Under the agreement signed on Sept. 13, titled the Memorandum of Understanding for Transformation and Political Stability, parliament will not be dissolved before July 31, 2022. The PH will support or abstain in the vote on the next budget and not vote down a government measure that would precipitate its fall. In both cases, there would be prior discussion of the content of the government’s measures. The government commits itself to introduce a bill to stop “party hopping” by MPs, speed up the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18 and limit any prime minister to a maximum of ten years in office. The agreement also covers measures to improve Malaysia’s response to the COVID19 pandemic and to strengthen parliament. John Gee is a free-lance journalist based in Singapore and the author of Unequal Conflict: The Palestinians and Israel.

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