Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim said that now is the best time for the opposition and the government to push forward with the reconciliation process, but said that the move must be borne out of “good intentions”.

"First, start by having good intentions about us (government). Start with good impressions, don’t start by having negative impressions of us immediately," he said during a press conference at Parliament today.

NONE "Only then can we have unity," he added.

However, he said that the opposition must come up with the suggestion as to how to go about starting the reconciliation process.

"They can come up with the suggestion, and we will carry on from there," he said.

Shahidan also said that the political climate is more open nowadays and the opposition has the freedom to voice out their opinions.

"It was like a culture shock for me when I returned to Parliament. The opposition has all the freedom," he said.

Last Thursday, a Universiti Malaya Centre for Democracy and Elections (Umcedel) survey of 1,546 voters found that 69 percent of voters want reconciliation , while a further 19 percent disagreed and 12 percent are unsure.

Its director Mohd Redzuan Othman said the proportion of those who are in agreement over wanting a reconciliation are similar regardless of race.

Shahidan also hinted that a new law to help reduce crime rates in the country would be tabled in the Parliament on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Shahidan said that no comparisons should be made with other countries in relation to the democratic practices in Malaysia.

"Comparing to other countries is like insulting the other country. We do not know the situation there. Who are we (to judge)?" he asked, in response to scathing criticism by PKR’s N Surendran in the morning that the Parliament was "dictatorial" and was akin to Zimbabwe.

Refusing to compare with other countries, Shahidan said that practices in Malaysia are the best for the country itself.

"It's best for Malaysia. This is our system," he said.