THE political scene in Malaysia is getting intense but exciting as the 15th General Election (GE15) draws closer. PAS has made it clear that they will collaborate with Bersatu through Perikatan Nasional (PN) while UMNO, the dominating party in Barisan Nasional (BN), will fight on its own.
Meanwhile, Pakatan Harapan (PH) will go to the battleground after having forged an electoral pact with the youth-centric Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA).
With the anti-party hopping law which in earnest prevents MPs from jumping ship and Undi18 coming on stream, GE15 is expected to be a mother of general elections in Malaysia. What shall we expect from the ballot box for the forthcoming GE15?
As easy as ABC, I personally foresee two major outcomes: status quo or the emergence of a new coalition. But the key question is, are Malaysians ready to accept a new coalition that is slant to a unity government?
Let’s dive deeper into the possibility of a new coalition that is prone to the formation of a unity government since the political climate is not expected to change much except that political stability may see some swings in tandem with unexpected outcomes in some court cases.
Based on some random and informal conversation with various strata of the Malaysian society, the forming of a new unity government is something worth exploring by all political parties especially in order to support the continuity of the Keluarga Malaysia theme (especially so if the present administration retains power post GE15).
During a heated teh tarik session with a group of friends, one of them quoted “We should explore the unity government because it will create stability that will benefit us all”.
I couldn’t agree more. The anti-party hopping law precisely contributes to that because we will not be in a situation where MPs who side with the winning party have the power to cripple the government that has been democratically chosen during GE15.
We will not let that happen again. With stability in place, it goes without a saying that Malaysia could embark on reaping its true potential as a resource-rich country.
Living within the confines of a multi-racial and religious environment, we should respect each other so as to prevent the unnecessary friction that can erode our inter-ethnical harmony. Hence, is status quo still relevant now? Do we still need political parties that are rooted on religion and race to steer the ship of our country?
Living in today’s modern world, we should keep racial and religion differences tightly sealed in a box. However, we still need to respect the Federal Constitution on matters that are related to Bumiputera rights or the status of Islam as an official religion.
All these while, we have seamlessly been living under the guidance of the Federal Constitution. What is needed then is perhaps a more proper communication or adaptation to the arrangement and implementation for a unity government to be the key success for Malaysia in the future.
Can we work for a unity government for the betterment of Malaysia? – Oct 20, 2022
Fairul Nizam Che Rus is the managing consultant of Echovibes Communications Sdn Bhd.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main photo credit: Vector Stock
