Zahid: Formation of new govt is ‘God’s will’

 

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has described the formation of the government post-GE15 as “God’s will”.

Taking note of the various negative perceptions hurled at him and BN during the election, Zahid said the small number of seats BN won was just enough to form the federal government with Pakatan Harapan.

“Without being arrogant or proud… but we decided that without this 30 (seats won by BN), the 82 (seats won by Harapan) would not be enough to form a government.

“We see it as God deciding that the 82 (Harapan seats) plus the 30 (BN seats) was enough 112 (seats) for us to form a government.

“This is also with the cooperation of other parties and friends from Sabah and Sarawak. When voting in the Dewan (Rakyat) we had 148 (seats), which gave us a two-thirds majority,” he said during his speech at a luncheon to celebrate the formation of the unity government in Shah Alam today.

‘Put aside political differences’

However, Zahid said that past political differences and history should be put aside in order to maintain the stability of the country and the welfare of the people.

“When you get to know each other and fall in love, there is no longer a negative perception. We in Umno and BN are not as bad as what has been portrayed.

“We hold on to the principle that this country needs to appear stable, with stable politics, for economic development and the people’s wellbeing.

“It is also clear that, in moving forward, there must be food on the table and money in the pocket. These three things are important when assuming government. Those other elements should be set aside,” he said.

The Umno president added that to achieve these objectives, unity government secretariats need to be formed, from the aspect of political parties.

This is to review all election manifestos announced by the parties in the current administration, he said.

“We will look for political party manifestos with similarities, and we will look into the details of it to find common ground.

“The first thing to be looked for in these manifestos by various parties in government, and to be implemented, to be a quick win, is on tackling the cost of living,” he added. - Mkini