New govt better option than National Operations Council, says Zaid

 

Former minister Zaid Ibrahim (left) says opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim could be invited to form a new government if Malaysia needs new leaders to manage the pandemic.

PETALING JAYA: If Malaysia needs a new set of leaders to manage the country, it would be better for a new government to be formed instead of setting up a National Operations Council or Majlis Gerakan Negara (MAGERAN), Zaid Ibrahim said today.

In a Facebook post, the former law minister questioned why this proposal was even on the table when no other country in the world was resorting to such a measure.

He said a smaller committee like MAGERAN did not ensure effectiveness and there was no guarantee it would be rid of political elements.

If the Yang di-Pertuan Agong comes to the conclusion that Malaysia needed new leaders to manage the pandemic and economy, he said, it would be better to get opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to form a new government or appoint an interim prime minister.

“If the opposition leader’s majority support is clear and he has a workable majority in Parliament, then Anwar should be invited to form a new government. The effectiveness of a government in dealing with chronic problems depends largely on the support given to the leader,” Zaid said.

“However, if his majority is not large enough to be able to withstand crossovers and defections, then an interim prime minister should be appointed. He should be someone acceptable to the majority of political parties in Parliament so that he can do the work undisturbed.

“An interim prime minister whose tenure is short, say for a period of 12 months, will not attract the ‘plotters’ working with the frogs in Parliament to topple the government.”

With an interim prime minister primarily tasked with managing the pandemic effectively and preparing the nation for the next general election, their tenure would largely go uninterrupted, he said.

Yesterday, Zaid proposed for Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to be made interim prime minister as he was a trusted and well-seasoned political figure.

But he noted that it was not for sure that Muhyiddin Yassin would be replaced as prime minister, maintaining that this was up to the Palace to decide.

However, he said, Muhyiddin could be experiencing “sleepless nights” if the King wanted him to reconvene Parliament even as he remained the prime minister.

“He will be having sleepless nights if his support in Parliament is actually short of the majority. It’s possible to hide your level of support behind press conferences, but not when you are standing in Parliament for the world to see.”

In a video recently, Muhyiddin’s chief private secretary, Marzuki Mohamad, took aim at certain quarters he claimed were trying to persuade the King into setting up MAGERAN, saying this was unnecessary as there was already a functioning Cabinet.

However, Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi questioned where this proposal was made in the first place, describing Marzuki’s video as a diversion. - FMT