Opposition sees big challenges for new man at the helm

 

Anwar Ibrahim, Mohamad Sabu and Lim Guan Eng all say Muhyiddin Yassin did the right thing by resigning but acknowledged the ‘triple crisis’ the new man will have to handle.

PETALING JAYA: Opposition leaders have welcomed the resignation of now-caretaker prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, but acknowledged that his successor would have a mighty challenge on his hands dealing with the numerous crises gripping the country.

In a statement today, Istana Negara announced that Muhyiddin had tendered his resignation to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who appointed the Bersatu president as caretaker prime minister until his replacement could be appointed.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim thanked Muhyiddin for his service in a brief statement on social media, but said it was a welcome move on the part of the former prime minister.

“Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s decision to resign today is welcomed and will pave the way for change for the country.

“I urge all parties to remain calm and pray for Malaysia to rise again in the face of current health and economic challenges.”

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng commended Muhyiddin for “taking the correct constitutional step” in resigning after losing his parliamentary majority.

While Lim acknowledged Muhyiddin’s hard work while in power, he noted that the Bersatu leader had fallen short in his efforts to deal with Covid-19, the resulting economic fallout and the political instability that hung over his tenure.

“The new prime minister faces huge challenges and will have to do a far better job in dealing with the triple crisis, particularly to save lives and livelihoods badly affected by the surge in Covid-19 infections and deaths.”

He called for the nation’s next prime minister to accelerate the national Covid-19 immunisation programme and implement a ‘Covid-19 Reset Plan’ that prioritises living with the virus and mitigating its effects over containment.

Amanah president Mohamad Sabu meanwhile called for the mandate given to the coalition to rule the country during the last general election to be returned to them following Muhyiddin’s resignation.

“I call on all fellow MPs who won on the Pakatan Harapan (PH) ticket in the last election to unite under the umbrella of PH so that the mandate given by the people can be implemented as well as possible.

“Democracy needs to be restored so the views of all parties are taken into account, whether it’s among MPs from the government, the opposition, as well as those from other parties.” - FMT