To effectively fight corruption, the unity government will need to be first united and strong.

Having been in power for a little more than five months, the unity government staged its first national convention on Sunday, bringing members from the 19 partner parties under one roof to showcase their determination to stay together.

Due to the emergence of “Sheraton Move 2.0” rumors in recent days, the national convention themed “Madani Mewajahi Masa Depan Malaysia” couldn’t have come at a better time, giving component parties a unique opportunity to come together to crush any rumor of disunity.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said during the convention that he had faith the unity government would remain stable until the 16th general election. He also signed the “Tekad Buat Malaysia” (Resolution for Malaysia) during the convention.

No single political alliance managed to secure more than half of all parliamentary seats in last November’s general election. Eventually, Anwar Ibrahim managed to get enough support to form the new government.

However, this is a government that has come into being only after the election. Coupled by the fact that some of the parties in the unity government were once sworn enemies, hence public skepticism whether the government would last long.

For instance, how to dissolve the long-standing conflicts between DAP and Umno? Given the vast ideological differences among the parties, how are they going to settle the issue of seat allocation in the run-up to the six state elections? These are all things parties in the unity government cannot afford to shun.

Additionally, PN has been seizing every opportunity to create the public perception of disharmony and instability within the government.

Earlier this month, Bersatu supreme council member Muhammad Faiz Na’aman wrote on his Facebook: “Already 126!” as if to hint that PN had secured the support of 126 MPs to form the next government.

Although this was later proven to be unsubstantiated speculation, we can see from the heated discussions over this matter that many do think the unity government may not actually be that solid as it claimed.

On the surface, Anwar has obtained the support of 148 MPs with a two-thirds majority advantage in parliament, and the status of his government should be rock solid.

But as mentioned earlier, the unity government has been hastily put together after the election, and further needs deepened cooperation in order to come up with a common direction to move further from here.

This time, parties in the unity government are banking on this opportunity to show off their solidarity, and member parties have unanimously stressed that they will stick together and lay down their differences for the future of this country.

Deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof said the parties’  priority is to stay united in order to serve the people and nation. Wanita DAP chairperson Chong Eng said she hoped all unity government parties could stand united to take the country towards a brighter tomorrow.

Wanita Umno chief Noraini Ahmad, meanwhile, urged the government to make the rakyat feel the seamless cooperation and stability among parties within the unity government as soon as possible.

All these remarks put together could compose a symphony of “unity” that declares to the world the parties are all prepared to set aside their differences and step up cooperation.

Where political reality is concerned, there is o other option for the parties in the unity government. They will need to hasten their pace and consolidate their internal strengths in tackling the many challenges ahead.

The six state elections are just around the corner. PN is still very powerful after last year’s election, and if the unity government is unable to pool together the strengths of individual parties, it will face an uphill task to fight the mighty opponent.

Bear in mind that the six state elections are going to be a litmus test for the legitimacy of the unity government. The foundation of the federal government will be remarkably undermined if it is badly bruised in the elections.

Besides the political threats from PN, the unity government has also been facing tough challenges in running the country. It has yet to implement any major reform since it came into office late last year. The many old problems still persist.

Spiraling inflation has further exacerbated the financial burden of Malaysians, and the unity government will need to tackle this problem urgently.

Although we managed to clinch an impressive 5.6% GDP growth in the first quarter of the year, outperforming Indonesia (5%), China (4.5%) and many other economies, most Malaysians don’t seem to feel that life is getting better for them now.

On the contrary, given the unexpected interest rate hike announced by Bank Negara lately, many feel the unbearable mortgage load on their shoulders.

Other issues such as water supply in Kelantan, “salty water” problem in Sandakan, etc., warrant the unity government’s immediate attention.

On battling corruption, parties within the unity government need to be more consistent in their stands in order to effectively wipe out corruption.

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki has said corruption in this country is becoming systemic in certain areas, showing how serious the problem has become.

Meanwhile, PM Anwar also said some with tens of billions ringgit worth of assets here and abroad had come together, as if to pool their resources together to fight the government’s onslaught.

An internally disintegrated administration will not be able to counter such a powerful corruption grouping. To effectively fight corruption, the unity government will need to be first united and strong.

The successful staging of the convention has exhibited the unity among parties in the unity government. What it has to do next is to work together in unison to face the upcoming state elections and resolve the many economic and day-to-day woes encountered by the rakyat.