PETALING JAYA: The time has come to put a premium on setting up a stable government as the country has seen three prime ministers since the 14th general election.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Prof Dr Azmi Hassan said it is critical to have an efficient government that can do its job.
He said this is why the general election was held six months before the expiry of the government’s five-year term.
He added that the nation is facing a very challenging situation, and needs a government that can concentrate on its core job of efficiently running the country.
“Whichever coalition forms the federal government, (component parties) need to work together well, and agree on the government’s direction and agenda. This is the most important prerequisite for running a stable government.”
Azmi said political parties need to put aside their differences and come to an agreement on the right direction for the new government as each has its own manifesto.
“The political parties in the coalition need to work with one another and decide on the most important matters that need to be executed.”
Azmi said meeting the people’s and nation’s priorities should come first while the party or leadership agenda should be secondary.
Universiti Tun Abdul Razak economist Dr Barjoyai Bardai said the general election was called in the hope that a single coalition would get a clear majority.
“Unfortunately, we are now back to the same scenario, with no single coalition commanding a majority.”
He said political parties need to work together to form a strong and stable coalition government, which will benefit the public.
“The government led by Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was a stable one because it had the support of Pakatan Harapan. But some leaders decided that a general election would give a single coalition a clear majority.
“The public is slowly getting used to the idea that the country will be governed by a coalition. They just want to get on with their lives, and want politicians to work together for the benefit of the country.”
Barjoyai said the people want to see the formation of a stable government quickly, and are worried there could be trouble if there is a delay.
He pointed out that over the last four years, the people had lived under three different coalition governments.
Barjoyai said the formation of a strong and stable government is now just a numbers game.
