Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (March 7): As Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, former deputy prime minister and home minister in successive cabinets of Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad respectively, emerges as the unexpected winner of the country's worst political turmoil since 1998, a movement against his so-called 'backdoor' government has stirred.

The #NotMyPM hashtag appeared across Twitter and Facebook, calling his Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition -- consisting of his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), United Malays National Organisation (Umno) and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) alongside smaller parties -- illegitimate, as the government was not formed by winning a general election, but rather through political maneuvering and horse-trading among lawmakers. 

Meanwhile, those who back him -- mainly consisting of Umno and PAS supporters -- call the movement a challenge to the prerogative of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah. 

Verbal spats ensued with a number of Malaysians arrested by the police after making crude comments online.

Against this backdrop, the government that Muhyiddin inherits or grabs, depending on one's political inclinations, has a very challenging job to do. 

While the economy slows down, the political turmoil also threatens to destroy racial harmony and unity among the people. 

Meanwhile, Malaysia is experiencing a second wave of Covid-19 infections that have almost quadrupled the number of positive cases to 83 in a mere three days.

So, what would Muhyiddin do as the eighth prime minister?

Pundits The Edge spoke to say the first thing that he needs to do is to establish political legitimacy of his government. Without a proper mandate, whether through the ballot boxes or ratification by his peers in the Dewan Rakyat, the people will see Muhyiddin and his to-be-appointed cabinet members as "robbers of the people's mandate".

If he manages to pass that test of popularity among his peers in the Dewan Rakyat, Muhyiddin will then need to form a cabinet whose members are untainted by any allegations of corruption and abuse of power. 

It is an extremely challenging task for Muhyiddin to do so, as many of the top leaders of Umno, now the biggest party within the governing coalition, are already facing charges of corruption in court. 

Then, what about the economy? What kind of economic policies will Muhyiddin employ? 

Will he take advantage of the grouses among the Malays against the previous Pakatan Harapan government – ironically one he was a leader of – by introducing more Malay-centric policies that could, if abused, jeopardise the country's standing as an investment-friendly destination?

Will a Malay-centric coalition be able to foster unity among the people, or will it further divide the country along racial lines, with most non-Malays, particularly among the Chinese community, throwing in their lots with the DAP-led opposition bloc? 

How would Muhyiddin repair race relations among the people and at the same time appease Perikatan Nasional's voter base?

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