MUAR, Nov 13 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that the ‘Father of MCO’ label given to him as a jibe is something he is proud of as the movement restriction order had saved many lives from Covid-19.

Malaysiakini reported the Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman responding to Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who had labelled him as such.

“Anwar Ibrahim said I’m the ‘Father of MCO’ but he doesn’t realise that if during that time I didn’t implement the MCO, many more lives would have been lost due to Covid-19.

“In Malaysia, 99 per cent of Covid-19 patients recovered and went home safely, while the US recorded 1.6 million deaths.

“Anwar went to the same university as I did, which is Universiti Malaya, but he said 36,000 deaths in Malaysia is the biggest figure in the world, even bigger than 1.6 million,” Muhyiddin reportedly said at a ceramah in Batu Pahat, yesterday.

He told the crowd that Malaysia’s vaccine rollout was faster than other countries in the region and his government had also offered aid to the masses at that time, to ensure there was food on the table for the people when many economic sectors were temporarily closed.

At the programme, the Pagoh incumbent who is running for the seat again, also trained his guns at the DAP, claiming that the party had demanded the abolishment of the Sedition Act.

“It was as though they wanted to abolish the royal institution, as well as the special privileges for the Malays.

“This was because the royal institution, national language, Islam and Malay special privileges are among those safeguarded under the Sedition Act,” Muhyiddin alleged.

Muhyiddin reportedly said that the DAP was among the reasons why he brought Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) out of Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the ‘Sheraton Move’, adding that he would rather be called a “traitor” than become one to the Malays and Islam.

He also claimed that Barisan Nasional (BN) may eventually work with PH after the 15th general election (GE15), as BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had reportedly admitted that if the coalition is unable to form the federal government by itself after GE15, it will cooperate with other political parties.

“Since Umno had rejected the proposal from PAS to work with Bersatu and PN before, the option left for BN is only Harapan.

“And DAP is not a party that fights for the fate of the Malays and Islam,” Muhyiddin added.