SERDANG – PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang attempted to dispel notions that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, of which his party is a member, is a backdoor one.
Formed subsequent to the Sheraton Move in 2020, the PN government is a democratic one, mandated to helm Putrajaya following the collapse of Pakatan Harapan (PH), Hadi told some 1,000 delegates at the PN convention here today.
“Colleagues from various parties left PH and joined PAS, Umno and other parties from Sabah and Sarawak in forming a new government through a democratic process.
“It’s not backdoor. It’s democratic because we collected enough MPs. This is democracy. We took over to strengthen the government,” the Marang MP said.
The PN government was formed in March 2020 after Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin led his party Bersatu and several other PKR leaders to quit PH to unite with the then opposition. This led to the fall of PH after just 22 months in power.
In his speech, Hadi likened PH to “instant noodles”, saying the coalition which captured federal power in May 2018 was too raw to lead the administration.
He also blamed PH for causing its own downfall, saying a lack of leadership, weaknesses and other wrongdoings, as well as failure to properly channel assistance to the rakyat, were among the reasons for its failure.
“When PH took over, things were disorganised. They are like uncooked instant noodles. Crises due to squabbling over the prime ministership and other leadership positions made them oblivious to issues that should have been prioritised.”
Hadi then credited PN for taking over the government without any provocation, bloodshed, public demonstration, or crisis over the prime minister candidate.
He added that while there has been a change in prime minister since, the current government is still largely a PN one, with a large number of cabinet members and MPs comprising those from the coalition.
Push for Muhyiddin as PM candidate
Later when addressing the convention, Gerakan president Datuk Dominic Lau Hoe Chai urged the PN presidential council to name its chairman Muhyiddin as its sole prime minister candidate for the coming election.
This is the first time a PN component party has expressly announced its support for the Pagoh MP to be its candidate as prime minister.
This echoes Bersatu supreme council member and Terengganu state chief Datuk Razali Idris’ previous call in April that Muhyiddin should helm the government in the event of a PN victory.
Muhyiddin was sworn in as the eighth prime minister on March 1, 2020, after receiving consent from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
This follows the unexpected resignation of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad following the Sheraton Move.
Muhyiddin stepped down on August 16, 2021, after losing majority support in Parliament, after just 17 months in office, according him the title of the shortest-serving prime minister since Malaysia’s independence in 1957. – The Vibes, August 27, 2022
Additional reporting by Hakim Mahari
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