KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin acknowledges that while his government is not necessarily the one that Malaysians voted for, he will ensure that everyone is taken care of after announcing the RM250 billion stimulus package to combat the impact of Covid-19 for Malaysia today.
Muhyiddin said that he is facing political, economic and health crises all at the same time and is doing his best to fight this unprecedented moment in the country’s history.
“We are a nation at war with invisible forces. The situation we are now facing is unprecedented.
“And this government may not be the government that you voted for. But I want all of you to know that this government cares for you.
“I accept the fact that I became your prime minister at a trying moment. I face political, economic and health crises all at the same time,” he said after announcing the People-Centric Economic Stimulus Package (Prihatin) today.
Muhyiddin, who was sworn in as the prime minister on March 1, called for the support of fellow Malaysians, saying he has had to resort to unprecedented measures to help the country weather the extraordinary situation.
He said that support for his government is vital for Malaysia to survive the crisis.
“This unprecedented situation requires unprecedented measures. So, my dear brothers and sisters, and the children of this beloved country, whether you are Malay, Chinese, Indian, Sikh, Iban, Kadazan, Dusun, orang asal, please bear with me and my friends in the Cabinet and the government.
“We are not perfect, but we are doing the best that we can to pull through this crisis together, as one nation. God willing, we will come out stronger when this crisis ends and the dust settles,” he said.
Muhyiddin, the current president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), was appointed as the country’s eighth prime minister after a week of turmoil that followed the collapse of a Pakatan Harapan (PH) government that had won the 2018 general election.
The turmoil started after elements of Bersatu and PKR — two of PH’s component parties — cooperated with Umno, PAS, and Sarawak-based parties to gain approval of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to form a government after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad resigned on February 24.
PH, along with Dr Mahathir and several others, have accused Muhyiddin of forming a backdoor government that does not have the people’s mandate to be in power.
