Speaking at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore today, the PN deputy chairman said the consensus must not be limited to “one race, one religion or one region”, but must “unite the political class, religious voices, civil society, and above all, the rakyat”.
He proposed that the consensus be built on three “cornerstones” — a common goal, a shared prosperity and compassionate governance.
On the first, Hamzah said: “Malaysia must move past the age of political survivalism. We must reject the politics of revenge and rekindle the spirit of shared nationhood.”
As regards shared prosperity, he said Malaysia’s development goals must be redefined to allow for the creation of a society in which no community is left behind.
“We cannot afford a Malaysia where the colour of your skin, or your postal code, determines the quality of your life,” he said.
Hamzah said the new consensus must be premised on compassionate governance rooted in genuine concern, humanity and dignity.
The Bersatu deputy president also called for all citizens to be treated as partners and not shunned as burdens.
‘Oil and water don’t mix’
Explaining his party’s exit from the Pakatan Harapan coalition which came to power in 2018, Hamzah said the administration led by then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad collapsed due to infighting and a lack of trust between component parties Bersatu, PKR and DAP.
“It also proved the deeper dysfunction within PH: the absence of a working consensus due to fundamental and ideological differences — one that was bound to collapse from the start.
“As they say, oil and water don’t mix.”
He said the PN-led administration which took over in 2020 led the country admirably.
“Under PN’s leadership, Malaysia’s economy not only survived, but began to recover. By 2022, the country recorded a remarkable GDP growth of 8.7% — the highest in Asean.
“As a result, unemployment fell from 5.3% in May 2020 to 3.6% by the end of 2022, and the business community regained confidence,” said Hamzah, who served as home minister during the period under prime ministers Muhyiddin Yassin and later Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said the coalition’s performance led to a “historic” November 2022 election, which saw none of the three coalitions — BN, PH, and PN — win enough seats to form the government on their own.
“PN was offered the chance to form a government with PH and BN — a broad-based coalition that could have, in both form and substance, become a true unity government.
“PN chose to decline because such an arrangement would have been nothing more than another marriage of convenience, which was doomed to fail, just as PH 1.0 did in 2020.”
‘PN outperforming rivals’
Hamzah said PN, which won 74 parliamentary seats at GE15 in 2022, has since been consistently outperforming its rivals at the polls.
He said his coalition won 146 out of 245 state seats on offer at the six state elections the following year, forming the government in four states — Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu — and making “remarkable inroads” into Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
“Whenever people call upon us, we are ready,” he said.