His Majesty has reminded us that unity is the cornerstone of stability and the pillar of prosperity that will bring continued progress and success to the nation.

When addressing the Dewan Rakyat, His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong who took the oath of office on January 31, 2019, said in a little more than four years, he was the only King in the country to have worked with four prime ministers and four cabinets in governing the country.

Al-Sultan Abdullah is veritably the only of the 16 kings in the country’s history to have worked with four PMs, and this means the last four years have witnessed tremendous political turmoil in this country.

We are fortunate that during these four years His Majesty has displayed unparalleled wisdom and made the best decisions to defuse one after another political crisis.

Looking back, a slight oversight on the part of His Majesty could have very serious implications on this country.

His Majesty said he hoped the current 10th prime minister Anwar Ibrahim would be the last appointed by him before his term expires, underlining the King’s sincere wish for the country’s political stability.

This wish can only become a reality if the Malaysian public embrace our cultural diversity and differences, respect one another and be inclusive and tolerant, as this is the only way that will make our pluralism the pillar of national solidarity.

To achieve a mutually beneficial situation for all Malaysians from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, we will have to put aside our prejudices and narrow political agendas.

While strategies are of utmost importance in winning an election, unity is the prerequisite in running a country.

His Majesty has reminded us that unity is the cornerstone of stability and the pillar of prosperity that will bring continued progress and success to the nation.

It is hoped that lawmakers on both sides of the political divide will soberly take heed of His Majesty’s advice. If an election is won at the expense of intercommunity harmony, there’s no development to talk about if the political situation is shaky.

While we may not have performed up to the mark in economic development since independence, do bear in mind that the fruit of democratic politics we are now savoring has not come by easily.

Be it a change in administration through the electoral process or the changing of four prime ministers within a span of only four years, the Malaysian public have been matured enough to accept the political transitions calmly and peacefully in the absence of intense conflicts.

And since this is the case, all politicians must strive to refrain from inciting community and religious confrontation during election campaign. In its stead, they must uphold “national unity” as the core value for the country’s operation.

Although Malaysia registered an impressive GDP expansion of 8.7% last year, somewhat making up for the 5.6% contraction in 2020 and a modest growth of 3.1% in 2021, there are simply too many factors of uncertainty in global economy this year, including monetary tightening in the West, dampened global demands, spiraling inflation, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and unpredictability in Sino-US relations, prompting economists to downgrade their growth projections for Malaysia to only 3.7% to 4% this year.

To majority of Malaysians struggling to make ends meet, this year is going to be even tougher.

Bank Negara says some 30% of Malaysians are facing heavy debt problems and as many as 47% of people are unable to come up with RM1,000 for emergency needs.

According to Bank Negara, the country’s foreign reserves stood at US$115.2 billion (approximately RM497.2 billion) as of January 31, sufficient to finance 5.3 months of imports and was 1.0 time of total short-term external debt.

That said, we have 47% of Malaysians who cannot even come up with RM1,000 for emergency needs! This amount is not enough to pay for half a month’s living expenses just in case something happens. As such, the government must look into this dilemma seriously.

The Anwar administration’s primary objective is to boost economic growth and address the many day-to-day problems encountered by average Malaysians.

Meanwhile, His Majesty has also reiterated the importance for the government to deal with factors of uncertainty in economy as well as pressure from rising cost of living as a consequence of runaway inflation.

However, His Majesty is confident that the cost of agricultural production and food processing could be significantly reduced to check the rising goods prices with the various efforts and initiatives put in by the government.

His Majesty has also voiced his full support to battle corruption and implement infrastructure projects such as public transportation, railways, roads and utility supply.

Priority should also be given to public health delivery, modernization of healthcare services and issues pertaining to elderly care.

In addition, laws should also be enacted to offer better protection to children from physical and Internet-related afflictions, housing affordability for low-income families, creating a more livable environment for Malaysians, stepping up cooperation with regional as well as global countries to stay competitive.

As His Majesty will step down from office next year, it is hoped that the government of PM Anwar will bring greater unity and harmony among multiracial Malaysians as we work hand in hand to overcome the hurdles in creating a more livable Malaysia as a present to the King!