TAN Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should be a "gentleman" and accept the decision made by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, regarding the appointment of the prime minister.
Umno information vhief Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said advised the Perikatan Nasional chairman to bear with the current government and prepare to contest in the next general election.
"I still remember when the Sheraton Move occurred and Muhyiddin took over as prime minister.
"I recall a conversation with the former opposition leader, now our 10th prime minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim), who told me that Pakatan Harapan accepted the decision made by the King.
“That was a gentlemanly move by the opposition. There are two and a half years left of the five-year term for administration, just contest and then form the government,” she said during a press conference at the 2024 Umno general assembly in Kuala Lumpur.
She also questioned Muhyiddin's intent to reveal the number of statutory declarations (SDs) he allegedly obtained to support his efforts in forming a government.
Azalina, who also serves as the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), remarked that the number of SDs obtained by a party leader is not a benchmark for forming a government.
The Pengerang MP added that, due to the absolute discretion accorded to the king, the question of majority should not be raised at all.
Muhyiddin had claimed during a ceramah held during the campaign period for the Nenggiri by-election that he was not invited by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong to become the prime minister after the 2022 general election, despite allegedly obtaining the majority to form the government.
Meanwhile, Bersatu information chief Datuk Rozali Idris said those challenging Muhyiddin to name the 114 other MPs who supported him as prime minister are merely feigning ignorance on the matter.
He stated that Muhyiddin had already identified these MPs to the police when he submitted the statutory declarations they signed during the 15th General Election for their investigation against him.
“The MPs cannot lie in court. They signed statutory declarations. Much more is likely to be revealed if they must testify,” he said on Facebook.
“Don’t back a man into a corner. His only option is to fight back,” he added. – August 22, 2024.