Kadir Jasin: PN govt looks like BN, with PAS playing second fiddle

Veteran journalist Abdul Kadir Jasin has slammed the Perikatan Nasional administration of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, saying that it looks increasingly like the BN government that was voted out two years ago.

In a blog post today, Kadir (photo, above), who is also a Bersatu supreme council member allied to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, went on to lambast Muhyiddin over the May 18 one-day parliamentary sitting.

"The PN government is looking every bit like the kleptocratic former Barisan Nasional administration, with PAS being as happy as a clam playing second fiddle in the so-called Malay-Muslim government, while the prime minister’s own party, Bersatu is imploding.

"In the meantime, administration at all levels is being politicised with the democratically elected state governments replaced by the PN usurpers and professional GLC chairpersons and board members fired to make room for PN political appointees," Kadir wrote.

The former group editor-in-chief of The New Straits Times Press also didn't mince his words about the forthcoming one-day sitting of Parliament scheduled for May 18.

"Monday, the 18th day of the month of May 2020, will go down in the history of Malaysian democracy as a day of infamy," he said.

"Without rhyme or reason other than self-preservation, the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat) of the Parliament will sit for one day and the sole item on the agenda is the King’s speech.

"After the King’s speech, which would probably last half an hour to 45 minutes, the house would adjourn. The press statement of 13 May by the Speaker, Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof, clearly states that – “Tiada sidang selepas Titah Diraja” (no sitting after the King’s speech)," Kadir added.

May 18 sitting 'a token one'

He said that back in 1969, when Parliament was suspended, the reasons were compelling as the country had just gone through a series of bloody race riots and the emergency was in force.

This time, he opined, the May 18 sitting was a token one, held merely to fulfil the condition that the Dewan must sit in accordance with the schedule.

Article 55 of the Federal Constitution dictates that a sitting (of the Dewan Rakyat) must be conducted within six months of the last Parliament session date. Parliament last met in December 2019.

"There is no better reason to justify this insult and assault on democracy than the fear of the Muhyiddin (above) that he might face the humiliation of a vote of no-confidence.

"There are reasons for him to fear. The biggest being the vote of no-confidence motion proposed by the member for Langkawi, Dr Mahathir.

"He could also face a no-confidence vote through the voting for a government bill. There were reports previously that the government would table several bills to regularise the administration," Kadir said.

He went on to say that Muhyiddin might well win, should the vote on a no-confidence motion be allowed, but that a debate would expose details of "deceits and lies" that would lend Muhyiddin’s leadership even more untenable.

"I say he might still win because firstly, he had convinced the King that he had the majority support of the members, which caused the monarch to swear him in on March 2, and secondly, he had “secured” the support of many members through cabinet appointments and other government posts.

"While the people of Malaysia are deprived of their inalienable right to have a say in the appointment of the government, which the prime minister himself had admitted was not elected by the people, Muhyiddin’s own democratic legitimacy remains questionable," Kadir said. - Mkini