GEORGE TOWN – Veteran Malay rights leader Datuk Ibrahim Ali has urged Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to step down as he alone stands in the way of bringing the long-standing political crisis to an end.
Ibrahim, who is also Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) president, said that it is apparent that Muhyiddin has lost the majority of the fellow parliamentarians and the public’s confidence in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration’s ability in handling the Covid-19 crisis.
This, he said, is especially after Umno had formally withdrawn support for the 73-year-old Pagoh MP.
At present, Putra does not support any current political bloc of neither Muhyiddin-led PN nor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led Pakatan Harapan.
As a third force or an alternative, Putra can undertake a strong stance on the principles of parliamentary democracy and a monarchy-based constitution, Ibrahim said.
“The world knows that support towards Muhyiddin in Parliament stands at only 113 from a total of 220, as two parliamentarians have passed on,” he said in a statement.
“So, if some Umno MPs withdraw support openly, Muhyiddin has lost his simple majority. It is clear, and one does not need a pair of spectacles to clearly see. There is no need for a torchlight.”
The former Pasir Mas MP said Muhyiddin has no other choice than to step down as the prime minister.
“What is there for him to wait for? He has already etched a name as the eighth prime minister.
“If he is gracious and a statesman, he should step aside honourably to enable the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to take the next steps to end this series of crises.”
Ibrahim said that the country is not only confronting a political impasse, but a constitutional crisis, a failure to meet the people’s expectations, an eroding economy and the depression surrounding the country’s inability to shake off Covid-19.
He urged Muhyiddin to emulate former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (fondly known as Pak Lah), who resigned as the fifth prime minister because Barisan Nasional lost a significant number of seats in the 2008 general election.
“In fact, people saw that it was Muhyiddin who began the chorus of voices in seeking for Pak Lah to resign – because he saw a vacancy in the deputy prime minister post. History can be haunting, and it can repeat. People also see it.”
Ibrahim said that he felt compelled to ask Muhyiddin to step aside for the greater good and on principled grounds.
“My plea is not personal but based on principle. It is not that I do not love Muhyiddin, but I love my country and people more, if I may borrow the quote of what Brutus uttered to Caesar,” he added. – The Vibes, July 11, 2021
