LETTER | Harapan and PN should form coalition govt

LETTER | The 15th general election (GE15) is over and it is unique to Malaysia that it has ended peacefully. Voters have cast their votes of preference.

It is obvious from the results there is a chasm between the Malay majority and non-Malay population regarding the preferences of political platforms.

Strong ethnic identity among the rural population and misgivings towards perceived Chinese DAP has swung the Malay votes to Perikatan Nasional (PN), while educated urban Malays and non-Malays who wanted to see less racially inclined politics in the country supported Pakatan Harapan.

Nevertheless, if there is something in common between Harapan and PN is the anti-corruption message and clean government that was propagated during the campaign that propelled the voters to ditch the older BN.

Moving forward, looking at the results, where Harapan is the largest block in Parliament and PN in second, it would be wise for both coalitions to work together, and also with their counterparts in Sabah and Sarawak in a coalition that would bring some sort of political stability to the nation.

The reason is obvious. If PN ignores Harapan and forms a government with Sabah and Sarawak parties, it would clearly marginalise the majority of supporters who supported Harapan.

This would make their votes undervalued and this would endanger democracy in the long run, where there would be a lack of confidence in the system.

On the other hand, if Harapan goes ahead and gets the majority without PN, it would create uneasy feelings among the majority Malay community who will accuse Pakatan of being a non-Malay government and this would create political instability.

Therefore, it would be wise for both coalitions to work together and create a semblance of political stability that would inspire confidence in the economy post-GE15.

The Association for Welfare Community and Dialogue (Acid) hopes there would be wisdom among leaders on the kind of government they are going to form since the integrity of the electoral system and the progress of the nation is at stake.

Malaysia has basically moved towards an uncharted territory and it would be wise that steady hands of wisdom guide in a representative and inclusive way that would meet the aspirations of all Malaysians for a prosperous Malaysia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.