“Having a peaceful transfer of power was what we experienced in the 14th general election and it is something that we should continue to uphold, especially if ‘we’ are not part of the winning side,” he said in a statement.
He said whether it was Pakatan Harapan chief Anwar Ibrahim or Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin who was named as the 10th prime minister, it should be seen as part and parcel of the democratic consolidation and the maturing of Malaysia as a young democracy.
Ong added that many challenges lie ahead for Anwar and it would take much consensus-building and give-and-take to establish a government that would be able to last for five years and deliver sufficient results to the people.
He proposed Anwar ink memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Barisan Nasional (BN), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leaders to outline the terms of agreement on policy issues.
For example, a commitment towards greater decentralisation of powers and finances for Sarawak (with GPS) and Sabah (with GRS) and veto powers on certain policy issues and government appointments (with BN).
Ong also proposed that an offer to be part of the unity government should be extended to PN after Anwar obtained the support from BN, GPS and GRS.
He said the decision whether to accept the offer would be up to PN’s leadership, but it should be made for political and social stability.
“Even if PN chooses not to be in the unity government, full parliamentary privileges including equal constituency allocations should be given to the PN MPs,” he said.
Ong added that one-third or half of the heads of the parliamentary select committees should also be from the ranks of PN MPs.
He also proposed that an MoU should be signed with PN and other opposition MPs to outline the responsibilities and privileges of a “loyal” opposition.
He said a realignment between PH and BN would be much needed, as the latter would position itself as being “forced” to join the PH-led unity government.
This, Ong said, could include having an electoral arrangement not to field any PH candidates in states like Kelantan and Terengganu in the state elections next year.
Ong also said “extremist” voices should be controlled from within the ranks, adding that they would likely undermine the unity government. This is especially important if such voices put internal pressure on leaders to take more “extreme” positions in certain matters.
He said there should be a firm agenda to continue strengthening institutional capabilities and governance structures within the federal government, including Bank Negara Malaysia, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), and Petronas.
“The independence of the civil service to serve the government of the day should also be strengthened,” he said.
Earlier, FMT reported that Anwar had been named as Malaysia’s next prime minister.
Istana Negara said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, said that the decision was made following discussions with the Malay rulers this morning.
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