KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 – Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today said concession by all parties to the people’s decision in the 13th general election (GE13) was the main premise towards achieving national reconciliation.
However, if the opposition insisted on holding rallies, it would reflect their reluctance to accept the outcome of the GE13, which was executed in accordance with the national constitution and election regulations, he said.
“In our endeavour to seek and achieve national reconciliation, I would like to stress that the main premise is to accept the GE13 result as final.
“If we have any dissatisfaction, there is a specific channel for us to raise our complaints and consequently whatever decision made by the court should be accepted, as it is hinged on the national constitution,” he said, while replying to an oral question by Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Gelang Patah) in parliament here today.
Lim had asked the prime minister about the efforts, success and constraints towards national reconciliation since the GE13 on May 5, this year.
Najib said to achieve the national reconciliation objective, the government had proposed to set up the National Consultative Council on Unity which was based on three elements, to identify an approach in addressing racial polarisation on a wide spectrum, to promote harmony among the people of different religions and how government policies could be socially inclusive.
The prime minister said the government would invite all quarters from the civil society, academicians and political parties including the opposition to deliberate on the best formula in determining the people’s wellbeing and a better future for the country.
Replying to an additional question by Lim on claims of a witch hunt to punish the people and opposition representatives following the GE13, he said the government had no wish to do so and the proposed consultative council was among the answers to Lim’s question.
“If the Honourable member can admonish us, we also should have the same liberty to do so to the Honourable member, if we keep on admonishing and confronting each other, national reconciliation will never happen…so if we want to start the process, we have to accept the GE13 outcome,” stressed Najib.
Last May 6, the prime minister said the Barisan Nasional (BN) government would push for national reconciliation to unite and close the divide among the people as a result of the polarisation trend in the GE13.
Earlier, Mohamed Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) questioned how national reconciliation would be initiated when the government had not addressed the ‘irregularities’ in the GE13.
Najib responded by drawing attention to the fact that no evidence of such claims had surfaced till now.
“We have an avenue for objections, we cannot make wild allegations such as the claim that 40,000 Bangladeshis had voted in the GE13, but this had not been substantiated.
“If we are not satisfied, we must go back to the national constitution ..and this is what the crux of the national reconciliation is,” he said.
– BERNAMA
