KUALA LUMPUR – With growing uncertainty over the position of the prime minister, an Umno Supreme Council member is pushing for an interim government comprising leaders across the divide, as well as professionals.
Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said gathering the best minds and talents to lead the country is necessary given the current health and economic crisis, as he called for a new leader to take charge until the next election.
Acknowledging talks of necessity for a Malay-Muslim government, the former Titiwangsa MP said having such a setup without the necessary talent and experience to manage the pandemic would be useless.
“Even if we need to tap the brains, experience, and expertise of some of the talented young leaders in the opposition, or professional people, to be part of this interim government to rescue this nation, we have to do it,” he said in a series of tweets today.
“We cannot afford to play politics at this crucial period of the nation’s survival. All the best hands must be on deck, so to speak. There’s no time to play politics. The health and welfare of the rakyat are the ultimate goal.
“This is the time for all Malaysians to come together and work as one. The interim government should include talented people from all sectors, including opposition parties.”
Johari’s statement comes just over a day after his party withdrew support for Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and called for a temporary government to oversee the fight against Covid-19, before heading for election.
According to Johari, being part of the Perikatan National government, the public has since associated its failure with Umno, as the cabinet comprises many MPs from the party who hold key positions with regards to Covid-19 management.
“Any decision made by Umno MPs will be closely watched by Malaysians,” he said.
While he did not name anyone, among the Umno leaders actively involved in the fight against the pandemic are Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob; Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, and Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.
Johari added that Malaysia has plunged in a number of global rankings since the start of the pandemic due to the failure of Muhyiddin’s leadership.
Among others, he said Malaysia is ranked 114th among more than 120 countries in the Nikkei Covid-19 Recovery Index for June, which is based on infection management, vaccine roll-outs and social mobility.
The country also placed right at the bottom of 50 nations in The Economist’s Global Normalcy Index earlier this month, he said, an indication of mismanagement of the pandemic and economic recovery.
With this in mind, he said, it is incumbent that the right talents, regardless of race, religion, political affiliation or status, be incorporated in battling the crisis. – The Vibes, July 9, 2021
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