KUALA LUMPUR – Three committees have been formed by Malaysia’s unity government to focus on issues concerning communication strategies and the upcoming state polls, among others.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the three committees were for communication strategies, state elections, and to monitor political developments and administration.

“This is to ensure that policies are agreed by all,” said Datuk Seri Anwar after chairing the unity government secretariat meeting at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) on Tuesday night.

Mr Anwar said the committee on state polls will ensure that all parties in the unity government work as one team in the upcoming six state elections.

“This committee will also discuss issues on the state polls, particularly seat allocations, and focus on efforts to ensure we have a firm ground in taking on the state elections,” he said.

“This is very positive to me because of the consensus and commitment by all parties, as well as our friends from Sabah and Sarawak, to ensure that we are a team.”

Those present at the meeting included Umno president Zahid Hamidi, Malaysian Chinese Association president Wee Ka Siong, and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) parliamentary whip Fadillah Yusof.

Mr Anwar said the communication strategy committee was needed for the present government to address extreme slander.

He cited the recent Quran burning incident in Sweden as an example, where religious leaders had claimed that the government was silent.

“That time, we issued a statement condemning the act. The Foreign Ministry summoned the Swedish ambassador and one million copies of the Quran were distributed immediately around the world,” Mr Anwar said.

“This is why this committee is needed.”

Mr Anwar also said the committee to monitor political developments and government agenda will look into public views on election manifestos of parties under the unity government.

“They will also look into policies that are a priority, such as the cost of living and ensuring cooperation between all races in all states,” he said.

The Prime Minister announced that he is the chairman of the unity government’s secretariat, and Datuk Seri Fadillah will be its secretary-general.

According to Mr Anwar, the heads of parties under the unity government will be the deputy presidents in the secretariat.

He also thanked Zahid for hosting the meeting at Umno’s headquarters in WTCKL.

Mr Anwar said the meeting began with a presentation by data science experts on the post-general election analysis.

“In terms of support, the unity government is the only coalition that represents all races in the country and this is an advantage to us,” he said.

His visit to the Umno headquarters was his first in about 25 years.

His unity government is supported by Pakatan Harapan’s 82 MPs, Barisan Nasional’s 30, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s six, GPS’ 23, Parti Warisan Sabah’s three, two independent MPs, and one each from Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat, Muda and Parti Bangsa Malaysia. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK