Editor’s Note: We have amended our headline and the sixth paragraph to their present state to better reflect Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew’s viewpoint.
CORPORATE figure-turn-political critic Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew (main pic) has warned that Malaysia will remain in a precarious state if no one political coalition obtains a clear-cut majority of 112 parliamentary seats (out of the 222 contested nationwide) to form the new government of the day in the aftermath of the 15th General Election (GE15) slated for tomorrow (Nov 19).
The founder of Bursa Malaysia-listed Country Heights Holdings Bhd is spot on in his concern that the outcome of GE15 “might lead to a crisis/disaster if the GE15 outcome points to a hung parliament”.
“If we are not careful, this can become very messy,” cautioned Lee who is also the founder of Global Chinese Economic and Technology Summit (GCET).
“While our neighbouring countries continue to progress, Malaysia will remain stagnant. Corruption, economic slowdown, weak currency and the exhausting cycle of constant fighting over power will plunge Malaysia into a deeper crisis.”
Considering that stability (politically, economically and socially) is crucial for Malaysia at this juncture, Lee went a step further to moot the idea – in the event of a hung Parliament and the ideal PM candidate cannot be found – perhaps Malaysia should leverage the upper house (Dewan Negara) to select the rightful PM candidate.
“The senator system can be a very good option that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong can leverage to identify the next set of professional candidates for the new cabinet. No matter what the outcome is, a new Cabinet with quality will definitely bring stability and instil confidence (in Malaysia) internationally as well as to turn crises into opportunities for Malaysia.”
Meanwhile veteran journalist and blogger Datuk A. Kadir Jasin opined that should a hung parliament ensue with no one single coalition crosses the threshold of 112 seats, “then it is mandatory that the party which wins the most seats be given the opportunity to try to form a government.
“Legal experts and political analysts often cite the example of the hung parliament in the UK after the 1974 general election when both main parties – Labour and Conservative – failed to obtain a majority,” he penned in his latest Facebook post.
“This is the first hung parliament in UK history since 1929,” shared the former Bersatu supreme council member. The UK experience is relevant to us because we practice the same government system as the UK which is the Westminster system”
According to Kadir, the British head of state at the time, the late Queen Elizabeth II, invited the party that won the most seats, the Conservatives under the leadership of Edward Heath, to try to form a coalition government but the latter failed.
“This opened the way for Harold Wilson, leader of the Labour Party, to form a minority government. A new general election was held seven months down the road and the Labour Party won with a clear majority this time around”.
Kadir added: “This is the right way legally and morally speaking, and not via confidential consultation or statutory declaration (SD). This SD method is only used by those who are untrustworthy or cheaters”. – Nov 18, 2022
