KUALA LUMPUR – Having condemned Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on numerous occasions over his undemocratic hold on Putrajaya, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today took his criticism of the prime minister to the regional level.
Speaking at the Asian Leadership Conference 2021, he slammed certain leaders for taking advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to remain in power.
While not naming anyone, Dr Mahathir appeared to be referring to Muhyiddin, who declared a state of emergency in January to contain the health crisis, subsequently suspending Parliament with his majority in question.
Dr Mahathir said amid the pandemic, the nation requires a leadership that promotes collectivism when making decisions, and problem-solving should not be at the expense of individuals or democratic rights.
“Yet, we have witnessed opportunistic leaders who thrive on a crisis to strengthen their foothold and grip on their positions.
“This is especially true of leaders whose positions are susceptible to democratic processes, and are unable to face the test of legitimacy.”
Since coming to power in March last year, the Muhyiddin-led Perikatan Nasional has been criticised heavily as being a backdoor government.
The move to enforce a nationwide emergency has also been slammed, with critics arguing that the decision was made to keep those in Putrajaya in power, after Muhyiddin was said to have lost majority support in the Dewan Rakyat.
In his remarks today, Dr Mahathir emphasised the importance of good leadership to ensure the fair enforcement of rules, regulations and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to combat the pandemic.
With these rules having already demanded a lot from the populace, he said, double-standard practices must be avoided at all costs.
If the people are made to feel these are applicable only to them and not those in power and the elitists, then efforts to impose the rules and regulations will be met with resistance, if not outright rejection.”
Dr Mahathir pointed out that one of the biggest challenges when mounting a strategy to resolve a crisis is public support, especially when dealing with a pandemic of such epic proportions as Covid-19.
“If, from the get-go, the leadership is unable to convince the populace that the observance of these SOPs is crucial in mitigating the crisis, then whatever subsequent strategies and steps introduced will not be smooth-sailing.”
The issue of the double-standard enforcement of Covid-19 SOPs appears to be a common theme in the PN administration, with ministers and government MPs often getting off the hook for violating rules that would otherwise see members of the public penalised. – The Vibes, June 30, 2021
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