The former deputy defence minister said it was time for politicians and Malaysians to realise that no one should attempt to dominate their coalition partners and the opposition.
Liew was responding to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decision to reject a government proposal to declare a state of emergency over the Covid-19 crisis.
From the King’s key message, he said political leaders should learn that no party can currently rule without coalition partners of similar strength.
“The role of the prime minister is not to dominate over his coalition partners but to cobble together a coalition that can last him for the full term and hold them tightly without them feeling disenchanted,” Liew said on his blog today.
“Umno’s ceasefire with Muhyiddin will not last if the prime minister continues to act as if he held two-thirds majority of the seats in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.”
He added that former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had made a similar mistake by refusing to co-govern alongside opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, which resulted in a “dysfunctional” Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
“Power should no longer be concentrated solely in the hands of the prime minister.
“All political parties in this nation need to learn the new operating system: How to share power in a coalition so the allied parties that did not provide the prime minister candidate feel at ease and would not need to look for new arrangements.”
According to Liew, the government must now co-govern with the opposition through Parliament, as the Malaysian political scene is set to remain a “50:50 democracy for the foreseeable future.”
On Sunday, Istana Negara had announced that the government’s request to declare a state of emergency had been denied by the King after he had consulted with his fellow Rulers on the proposal.
The palace said the King felt the government had succeeded in handling the pandemic and there was no need for a state of emergency to be declared over the country or in any part of Malaysia.
The King also reminded politicians to stop the politicking that could disrupt the stability of the country’s administration.