Muhyiddin: It’s up to the people to decide on next govt

PUTRAJAYA: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will leave it to the people to decide whether the Perikatan Nasional government should be re-elected or otherwise in the next general election.

The Prime Minister says the Yang di-Pertuan Agong will be advised to dissolve the Parliament as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic is over.

“Once the pandemic is over, which I hope will be very soon, I will advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament.

“Until such time, my colleagues in the Cabinet and I will continue to carry out our duties and responsibilities to the best of our ability,” he said in a special address to mark his first year in office.

A state of Emergency has been declared, which among others, prohibits any elections to be held unlike under normal circumstances where elections must be called for within 60 days once a seat is declared vacant.

Muhyiddin has repeatedly given his commitment that the general election will be held once the country is out of the woods from the pandemic.

The Prime Minister said the main focus of the government was to steer the country clear of “the double whammy of health and economic crises”.

“When the election is held, we will leave it to the people to decide whether the Perikatan government should be re-elected or otherwise.

“You are free to choose. That is what democracy is all about,” he added.

Muhyiddin also touched on the issue of the Emergency Ordinance in his address, where he again reiterated that it is not a bid to hold on to power.

“I am aware and I understand the meaning of democracy. None of the ordinances that have been proclaimed are meant to keep a prime minister in power forever,” he said.

He pointed out that the current state of Emergency had until Aug 1 as a deadline, and that this was the first time in the country’s history that an Emergency had an end date.