A govt of national unity could bridge the divide

Great article in the Business Times (Singapore) by S Jayasankaran, recommending Malaysia to form a government of national unity. It would be even better to have many non-political linked professionals in it. Doing away with the corruption, the wastage, the "nonsense" projects, Malaysia would quickly flourish.

Abdul Razak, PM Najib's father, took the lead over three decades ago, and returned the country to normalcy; his son should follow suit

 

 

 

 

Waving the flag: A Bersih rally in Johor last month. The country is riven by race and religious suspicions, made worse by politicians from both sides. Many M'sians are sick and tired of the politicking

Several weeks after the 2008 general election, this reporter met up with Professor K S Jomo, one of Malaysia's most renowned economists and, at the time, a deputy secretary-general with the United Nations.

Mr Jomo, who had been in New York during the election, worried that the divisions in the nation would become greater over time and felt that what was needed was what Abdul Razak Hussein, the country's second premier, did in the early 1970's - the creation of a government of national unity.

Such a government is an ideal and hideously difficult to implement, but as Mr Razak, 38 years ago showed, not impossible. Essentially, it means a broad-based coalition of the major political parties in the legislature of Parliament coming together for the common good.

It is also formed for very specific reasons, usually during a time of war or some national emergency and must involve the disbandment of coalitions and the creation of a singular political entity.