Give Johor MB a chance, Muhyiddin tells Harapan grassroots

Pakatan Harapan Johor chief Muhyiddin Yassin has advised the coalition's grassroots to be patient with the new Johor administration.

His advice comes after several Harapan grassroots leaders expressed their displeasure over Osman Sapian's appointment as menteri besar.

"I just want to ask them to be patient because it is a new administration. The menteri besar is also new, maybe he made some mistakes, but we cannot make conclusions until we give him (Osman) a chance.

"Be patient. The people should judge actions and not statements," Muhyiddin said in a press conference in Putrajaya today.

The Bersatu president also stressed that no Umno members had been appointed to key posts in Osman's administration.

He said that the appointment of Fizwan Rashidi – who was previously alleged to be an Umno member – as Osman's private secretary was made after consultation with the state secretary Azmi Rohani.

"It's not true (that Fizwan is an Umno man). I've been briefed over this and he is a civil servant and not a politician.

"As a civil servant, he has the right to be appointed as the chief secretary with the menteri besar's office."

‘Not an Umno man’

Apart from Muhyiddin, Johor DAP chief Liew Ching Tong also explained that Fizwan's appointment was not political in nature, and that he did not hold any positions in Umno.

"He is a civil servant who has vast experience as the private secretary to several Johor menteri besar before this.

"Osman also informed us that his appointment was made after he consulted the state secretary Azmi and several other senior government officials," Liew said in a Facebook post today.

Last week, Osman had insisted that Fizwan was not a political appointment and that as a civil servant, he does not hold any position in any party.

Osman had reasoned that picking someone inexperienced would be troublesome, as this was a new state government which needed to carry out a lot of work in an urgent manner. -Mkini