THE unity government will remain strong even beyond the 16th General Election if all parties continue to back Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional chairman said he was confident the unity government would be given the mandate to serve another term if it implemented policies that benefited the people and country.
“I am confident that if we walk together with Anwar, the idealism and concept of Malaysia Madani will take us past GE16,” he said in his address.
Ahmad Zahid said he had appealed to the Prime Minister not to look back but to continue his drive to make Malaysia an advanced country.
He said although there were criticisms from various quarters on the country’s leadership and existing government, they should be ignored for the sake of national development.
“The people in the country want the Prime Minister, together with the 19 parties in the existing unity government, to continue to drive the country forward.”
He added that although Barisan only had 30 parliamentary seats, it still played an important role in the unity government.
“We complement the government. If Pakatan Harapan has 82 seats, without the remaining 30 seats, there will be no unity government,” he pointed out.
Ahmad Zahid said the convention saw a historic moment.
“About 25 years ago, Dewan Merdeka witnessed an individual (Anwar) with us humiliated, insulted and oppressed. Now, 25 years later, he is the Prime Minister of Malaysia,” he said.
“What we uphold are plurality and diversity. What we defend is nationalism. What this translates to is Anwar,” he added, calling on all participants to give Anwar a standing ovation.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the national convention was a manifestation of the stability aspired by the people.
He said the convention was the result of a consensus between the political parties supporting the unity government led by Anwar.
He added that although the administration was just six months old, the establishment of the Leadership Negotiation Council and several other committees enabled the party leadership to deliberate on matters of common interest.
Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said there should be no dominant party in the unity government, adding that all must help one another.
“We need to learn from mistakes made by previous coalitions.
“For example, if there is someone handicapped in the family, the stronger member must always help. The people will be watching,” he said.
Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) deputy chairman and Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffery Kitingan said the commitment and efforts of the Prime Minister to resolve issues connected to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) were well received by the people of Sabah and Sarawak.
He said MA63 issues needed to be resolved because the history of Malaysia’s formation in 1957 was deemed to have overlooked the aspiration of Sabah and Sarawak and affected development in the two states.
Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chairman Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said his group would back a stable and strong government so that it could focus its energies on improving the country’s image on the international stage.
He said Malaysia needed to be in a competitive position with neighbouring countries, notably Indonesia which is developing its new capital of Nusantara in Kalimantan.
The Sarawak Premier said the unity government needed to focus on inter-regional development.
