KUALA LUMPUR – The Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree for politicians to cease politicking applies to both sides of the divide, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, after his successor’s bid to put the country under emergency rule got the royal snub.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s ability to govern has come under scrutiny after he failed to convince the king to approve draconian measures, which many saw as an excuse to avoid a budget bill defeat.
Dr Mahathir, who leads the newly formed and yet-unregistered Pejuang, lauded the Agong’s action, saying in a blog post today that the opposition will respect the decree.
But, he said, “the government must also stop political actions, such as removing the posts of politicians who did not support the government, (and) withdrawing allocations for representatives who did not support the government”.
He panned politicians aligned with Muhyiddin’s government for buying support from the opposition, forcing elections to wrest power and rejecting the registration of new parties like Pejuang.
“Pejuang will always uphold the advice of the Agong, so that politics in Malaysia becomes stable. Pejuang is willing to cooperate in the efforts of all quarters to tackle the Covid-19 threat.
“As a leader of Pejuang, which has yet to be registered, I would like to extend our appreciation and gratitude to His Royal Highness, who prioritised the interests of the people by making a wise decision on the proposal to declare an emergency in this beloved country.” – The Vibes, October 26, 2020
