BN Mulls Cooperation With Pakatan Rakyat

Malaysia's ruling coalition may open "a new era'' of cooperation with the opposition in administrative matters, the prime minister said Tuesday, signaling a policy shift after recent elections nearly leveled the balance of power.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's National Front coalition has long shunned any cooperation with its rivals, but it has been forced to consider how to deal with a three-party opposition alliance that won control of five states in March general elections.

Abdullah indicated he was surprised that the opposition handed a key administrative post last week to a well-known National Front member.

"It's just not been the practice,'' Abdullah told reporters. "Normally we keep to what we want to do, and the opposition parties also keep to what they want to do.''

National Front officials have debated whether Lee Kah Choon of the coalition's Gerakan party should be kicked out after he accepted an offer last week to head two opposition-run development and investment organizations in the industrial hub of Penang state.

Abdullah said he was not in favor of punishing Lee, stressing that "if there is no clash in policies, then perhaps it opens the way to cooperate.''

"We can always create a new era, but as far as I'm concerned, this is a matter for the parties to decide whether they want it or not,'' Abdullah said.

Lee resigned as Gerakan's deputy secretary general last month after the party lost control of Penang for the first time in nearly 30 years. He remains an ordinary member, though there has been speculation that he might cross over to the opposition Democratic Action Party.

Opposition leader Lim Guan Eng, the new chief minister of Penang, has said Lee's appointment is part of the opposition's plan to "chart a new course, a new political paradigm'' that emphasizes fairness to all sides.

The National Front held on to power in last month's elections, but lost its traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament and conceded five of Malaysia's 13 states to the opposition.

Abdullah has been trying to keep the coalition's 14 parties united amid widespread rumors that dozens of government lawmakers plan to defect to the opposition. He is also fending off demands by some coalition members for his resignation.

***** The new cooperation policy is a welcome one and the nation will benefit from the resultant goodwill. Although BN must have been taken aback by the novel offer, the PM has shown remarkable good sense and pragmatism in not condemning the appointment, questioning the opposition's motives or calling for disciplinary action against Mr Lee. Keep it up Pak Lah.

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