Perikatan govt a failure despite being 99.9pc Malay, says Amanah’s Salahuddin Ayub

KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 — The Perikatan Nasional (PN) government has failed in its duty to provide a stable and effective administration to the country despite being a Malay majority government, said Amanah vice president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub. 

In an exclusive interview with the Malaysian Insight, Salahuddin said the PN government faces constant turmoil, leading voters to question its integrity. 

“It’s been a year since PN and Muafakat Nasional have been in control. What more do they want? 

“Their government is 99.9 per cent Malay – from ministers to deputies, except for a fraction from MIC and MCA.

 “There is still infighting among themselves and now people are questioning their integrity,’’ he told the news portal. 

The PN government was formed on March 1 last year following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration, following the exit of Bersatu and a group of PKR lawmakers. 

Throughout PH’s tenure in Putrajaya, parties such as Umno and PAS have often blamed the administration for failing to address Malay Muslim’s rights and being under the control of DAP.  

However, Salahuddin said with PN now in power, they can no longer use that excuse.   

“Now they should be united. There are no DAP or Chinese issues anymore. DAP is not there (in the Cabinet). 

“They (PN) have a large Malay majority and yet there is still infighting. There are issues between Umno and Bersatu. PAS also looks like it’s untrustworthy,” he said.  

Salahuddin said PN must acknowledge that a Malay majority government doesn’t translate into a stable administration. 

“As for now (in the PN government) there are no checks and balances. That is an issue that must be looked into. 

“There is no guarantee that having a Malay majority will bring about a stable government. The emphasis of Malay, Chinese, Indian, or Iban governments must be established on the basis of integrity and good character. 

 “We will explain this to the people for the next general election.” 

However, Salahuddin admitted that Malaysia requires Malay leaders who are strong to lead the government.  

“The reality is that Malaysia needs good Malay leaders. Meaning that they must have integrity and good leadership which is the strength of the country. 

“Apart from that, we also need to uplift the other races, such as Chinese, Indians, Kadazan, Dusun, Dayak and others. 

“This combination of races is critical. The other races understand this because there must be good Malay leadership that has integrity and good morals,’’ he said.