KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim still has time to correct his “mistakes” made since assuming office, Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said, naming three of them.
The Bersatu president said Anwar should not have appointed Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as deputy prime minister because of his graft charges, a move he said was simply to secure support for the government.
“All election promises about the principles of integrity were pushed aside. It was a political transaction based on ’you scratch my back, I scratch your back’,” Muhyiddin said in a statement on Facebook.
He said Anwar should order Zahid to take leave from his duties until his court case is completed.
Another mistake was making himself finance minister when Anwar had promised before the general election not to allow the prime minister to hold the post to ensure good governance and accountability, said the Pagoh MP.
“After all, the 1MDB scandal arose when the prime minister at the time, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was also the finance minister. Anwar should not repeat the same mistake,” said Muhyiddin.
He then said the third blunder was the appointment of Anwar’s daughter, Nurul Izzah, as senior economic and finance adviser to the prime minister.
“It has never happened in the history of Malaysia that a prime minister appoints his child as an advisor.
“This appointment makes the ‘Reformasi’ slogan Anwar has spouted since 20 years ago sound like nonsense.
“Advise her to resign. She is a talented leader with great potential. Don’t let this misplaced appointment be a black spot on her political journey to a possibly brighter future.”
Muhyiddin said that as the leader of an opposition party, these issues were certainly fodder for him.
But as an “ordinary citizen”, he is also concerned about the recent developments, as he did not want to see problems arise for the country because of these issues.
“It’s not too late for Anwar to make things right. Resign as finance minister. Focus on (your) duties as prime minister, because the people and the country are facing difficult times.” – The Vibes, January 31, 2023
