KUALA LUMPUR – Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin has listed four outcomes the party is hoping to achieve after withdrawing support for the Perikatan Nasional administration and Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
In a statement today, Khaled said the prime minister and his administration must see that its previous strategies and actions to handle the pandemic have “failed miserably”.
“So, it is ill-informed to continue to stick with the same plan or approach.
“Secondly, the withdrawal will put to stop rumours and guesswork linked to the prime minister’s majority support. This withdrawal will make way for an open re-evaluation of the Dewan Rakyat’s trust and confidence in the prime minister.”
He added that this shows that Umno is serious in its demands to improve the welfare of the people.
“The people’s welfare cannot be compromised. It is not something that is taken lightly with half-baked strategies (that have proven to) they have failed. Any offer of positions to some of its leaders will not change Umno’s stand.
“Fourth, we want to renew confidence and hope on behalf of the people. A new leader will bring with him a fresh hope and expectation. Different strategies, approaches and more radical plans are expected.”
Khaled also said the call to replace a leader is justified even during a pandemic.
“Lee Iacocca in ‘Where Have All The Leaders Gone?’ lists that one measure of a good leader is the ability to manage crises. The failure to defuse a crisis and instil public confidence are evidence of a leader’s weakness.
“So, it is not unheard of. Changing leaders during a crisis is not only justified but necessary. Especially after a leader has failed to navigate a crisis convincingly.”
Khaled pointed to Italy Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte who was forced to resign in January after political party Italia Viva headed by Matteo Renzi withdrew from the ruling coalition following Conte’s failure in handling the pandemic.
“Last August, Poland’s health minister and foreign minister resigned over the same reason – failing to manage the pandemic. In March, Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova replaced (then) prime minister Igor Matovic with finance minister Edward Heger after the country recorded one of the highest Covid-19 deaths in the world.
“Some say we should focus all efforts to battle Covid-19 and set aside political lines. While this has some truth to it, it is inaccurate.
“Such optimism is based on the assumption that those given the responsibility of managing the pandemic are the most qualified and capable of bringing about the much hoped for recovery.
“The prime minister clearly failed to manage the pandemic. Not only did the economy fail to recover, the health crisis is worsening. Health frontliners are severely exhausted, and the healthcare system is reaching maximum capacity and at risk of collapse.
“Hopefully, the next person leading the country will provide a far more convincing commitment to manage the pandemic and economic turmoil. Only those with big hearts should shoulder this responsibility.”
Wee hours on July 8, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi withdrew support for Perikatan Nasional and Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, saying there will be no compromise on the matter.
This came hours after Muhyiddin appointed Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as deputy prime minister and promoted Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to senior minister. – The Vibes, July 10, 2021
