THIS may be the best election result ever for Malaysia to test its political maturity. A contrarian view no doubt this is, but perhaps it has the promise of parties of different political persuasions working for the interest of the nation. We can't say for certain if a unity government will be the result, but if mature politics is our end game, then our politicians of all stripes must head that way.
As one political analyst put it to the media, the time of the political parties ended on Saturday. That "quarrel" must be left at their campaign tents. And so must the egos of the politicians.
From today, leaders of the coalitions must devote the time to nationhood. This will not be easy as each political party will be coaxed by persuasion peculiar to the party. Be that as it may, it is not impossible to work across different brands of politics.
An example was shown in 2018 when an alliance of opposition parties toppled the Barisan Nasional government that had ruled the country for more than 60 years.
The most asked two questions are: which coalition will likely form the government? And who will be the prime minister? Both are up in the air, but there are a few contenders.
Begin with the coalitions. As it stands, Pakatan Harapan has the highest number of seats at 82, but it would require 30 seats to garner a simple majority in Parliament. The 34 seats of GPS, GRS and others may come in handy, but would they want to work with PH? This depends on what PH is willing to offer the kingmakers in Sarawak and Sabah.
Another option is for PH and BN to form a unity government, but this isn't exactly a yellow brick road. If PH fails to get the number of seats to form the government, it is likely for the monarch to call on PN to form the government.
This is likely as PN, BN, GPS, GRS and others will have 137 seats, way beyond the required 112 simple majority. Again, it will depend on what is on offer from PN.
A better alternative, and the best for the country, is for the coalitions to agree among themselves to form a unity government of PH, PN, BN, GPS, GRS and others. True, Malaysia has had a long history of governing coalition and opposition parties, the former trying to dominate the other.
But briefly, though informally, a unity government of sorts did move the nation for a while in 2018. The nation needs one now again, only this time for the next five years. Unity government means a functioning government.
The post of the prime minister may appear to be a tricky issue, but this can be facilitated by the palace by urging them to agree on a candidate or share the position of PM for 2½ years each, PH's Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim getting the chance to be PM with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as PM for the latter half. Some analysts think Pas president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang may make a pitch for the PM's post, but this is mere speculation.
A hung Parliament presents Malaysian political parties a rare invitation to practise a new kind of politics, a politics of maturity. We hope they seize the opportunity. But first, they must be magnanimous enough to work with those whom they rarely partner with.
This is the only formula for a stable government that lasts until the end of the 15th Parliament.