KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 — Barisan Nasional secretary-general Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir today said the unity government will soon sign a coalition agreement to ensure the stability of its administration.
He said once all the members involved have checked and agreed to the proposal a final draft will be drawn up for everyone to sign.
“The most important thing is how we create this coalition agreement for all parties to come together, that is very important, otherwise we won’t have this kind of coalition. We have to take care of every party in this coalition government.
“We have had several series of discussions and I can say at this stage we have almost come to a final draft of that agreement,” he told members of the press here today during his first press conference as foreign minister.
When asked if the coalition agreement will involve all parties in BN, he said it will definitely involve more than two parties.
“It will definitely involve several parties, not only two, I’d say more than two, meaning maybe three or four. All parties will sign together,” he added.
It’s been reported that several BN component party leaders found that the grassroots were against joining a Pakatan Harapan (PH) government after the incessant criticism against BN.
Prior to the 15th general election, BN had insisted that it will not work with PH and made it clear during its campaign for the 15th general election that they were against the coalition.
However, after their worst ever performance at an election, they decided to work with PH to form a unity government. Both BN and PH have differing manifestos and this was said to be a stumbling block.
Zambry said a coalition agreement was important to ensure a government can serve in office for a full five-year term and also to streamline the pledges in their respective manifestos.
In addition, Zambry said it was still too early to discuss policies at this stage as he had just assumed office. He asked for more time to discuss global issues with the prime minister and Cabinet before making an announcement on them.
Meanwhile, his priorities would be improving Malaysia’s foreign relations with Asean nations and global powerhouses. Zambry said Malaysia cannot ignore the new geo-political scenario happening globally and Malaysia needs to follow this closely.
BN consists mainly of MCA, MIC and United Sabah People’s Party. Its other members are Parti Cinta Malaysia, All Malaysian Indian Progressive Front, Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress, Malaysian Indian United Party, Malaysian Makkal Sakti Party, Malaysian Advancement Party, Punjabi Party of Malaysia, Malaysia National Alliance Party and Minority Rights Action Party.
