KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s integrity will stand him in good stead as he takes over the reins of the nation as the eighth prime minister.
Political analysts interviewed by Bernama said they were confident that Muhyiddin’s experience and good qualities would ensure more transparency in the administration and lead to more stability in the nation.
After a week-long crisis that saw a realignment of the country’s political landscape, Muhyiddin was this morning sworn in as prime minister before Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah at Istana Negara.
International Islamic University Malaysia law lecturer Prof Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmod said the people are expecting a leadership rooted in transparency and not driven by political interests.
Admittedly, he said, one of the newly-minted prime minister’s biggest challenges would be to ensure that all the “high-profile” court cases that are currently undergoing trial or awaiting trial go through the proper legal process.
“If the cases are dropped (midway), it will erode the people’s trust in the new government. There should be no compromise. Any decision (pertaining to the court cases) made should be based on law and not on emotional and political interests,” he said.
Wide experience
Describing Muhyiddin as a mature leader who is well-versed with the needs of the country’s administrative and political systems, lawyer Muhammad Hafiz Hood said the new prime minister’s integrity and honesty will enable him to win over the people’s confidence.
He said Muhyiddin’s integrity came to the fore when he openly opposed the wrongdoings related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (IMDB) in 2015 when Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was prime minister and which led to the former’s dismissal as deputy prime minister.
“Muhyiddin has wide experience in politics and has served as a senior minister and deputy prime minister. Not only that, but he also has a clean record and has not been implicated in any case involving corruption or abuse of power,” he added.
He said Malaysians want the issues related to corruption and abuse of power to be handled prudently and in accordance with the legal provisions.
“In the past, Muhyiddin has opposed 1MDB openly, so now he should also make sure the big cases (that are currently undergoing trial) are dealt with properly.”
Nik Ahmad Kamal said the new prime minister must act fairly and steer clear of any controversy that can jeopardise his position as his government only has a simple majority in the Dewan Rakyat and is, hence, extremely vulnerable to a no-confidence vote.
Pointing out that Muhyiddin is set to face a tough time ahead of the next Dewan Rakyat meeting which is scheduled to start on March 9, the academic said the most effective way for the prime minister to address the uncertainties is by convincing the rakyat of his credibility to lead the nation.
Qualified and competent
“For his Cabinet, he should only appoint those who are qualified, competent and not embroiled in any controversy. He should avoid racist individuals who love to stir up sensitive issues pertaining to religion and race,” he added.
Nik Ahmad Kamal also urged the prime minister to consider continuing with some of the efforts initiated by the previous government, particularly those involving current issues such as the Covid-19 outbreak.
Muhammad Hafiz, meanwhile, said the political situation in Malaysia is likely to be stormy in the near future but he is confident that the issues can be successfully resolved under Muhyiddin’s leadership.
“But for this to happen, he must govern in accordance with the rule of law. Running an administration based on the rule of law is the hallmark of a competent leader,” he said, adding that the people are now wiser and want the government to be transparent in all its dealings. — Bernama
