PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, coming to the defence of his cabinet colleagues, said tonight that the ministers were still working hard, without pay, although many of them appeared to be keeping quiet during the current crisis period.
Speaking in a television interview this evening, he said he constantly monitors the progress of cabinet ministers, who had tasks and responsibilities to carry out during the Covid-19 crisis period, to avoid a backlog of work once the movement control order is lifted.
“Maybe for now there are not a lot of statements coming out so people think ‘Oh, the ministers are not working.’ They are still working,” he said. “And for this month or two, there are no salaries, because as we have said, salaries will be donated to the government.”
Muhyiddin said: “My guarantee is, our cabinet ministers will carry out their duties as mandated for the interests of the rakyat even under this difficult situation.”
Ministers had to stay at home while the movement control order was in place. However, he has instructed that they be present at their respective offices for certain tasks.
Muhyiddin said he wanted the public and the ministers to know that the government was focused in managing the Covid-19 pandemic.
”That’s why I have only appointed one or two spokesmen. The defence minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, is the spokesman for government matters, and the director-general of health, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, for the Covid-19 issue.”
Only those two were appointed as spokesmen, to cut down on the people becoming distracted from having too much information from multiple people speaking on behalf of the government.
“But this does not mean ministers are not carrying out their duties. Despite the restrictions of the MCO they must still do their work,” he said, adding that this was the best time for the ministers to review what needed to be prioritised within their own ministries.
People are fed up with political talk
Muhyiddin said he had not responded to political criticism about his government because “people are already fed up, and they don’t want to hear those stories. What they want to know is, what is the government doing? What are the prime minister, the Cabinet and the government today doing to address the key issues faced by them?”
“That’s why I have not commented about political issues,” he said.
He said he wanted to show the country that the Perikatan Nasional government was a fully functional government after taking over from Pakatan Harapan, and was fully focussed on Covid-19. “Otherwise people might say that Covid-19 isn’t resolved but he talks about the problems of his party, coalition, and government. “On those matters, there will come a proper time. If explanations are needed, we shall explain,” he said.
The interview was conducted jointly by RTM, Bernama TV, and Astro Awani and broadcast by all three stations. -FMT
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