What’s your alternative plan, analyst questions those gunning for PM’s seat

A political analyst says those looking to topple Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin should be able to come up with better alternatives to handle the Covid-19 crisis instead of only offering criticism of the current administration.

Wong Chin Huat, who is seen as friendly with Pakatan Harapan (PH), said critics of Muhyiddin such as PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim were until now unable to present any concrete suggestions on how to free the country from the grip of the pandemic.

“Anyone who wants to replace Muhyiddin, not just Anwar but Hishammuddin Hussein, Azmin Ali, Shafie Apdal – they must be able to offer an alternative.

“It is easy to criticise what is wrong, but alternatives that can rectify the situation – those are the true measures of leadership,” he told MalaysiaNow.

Chin’s comments come amid talk that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government could be overthrown, ahead of the reopening of Parliament this month.

The Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday that the government had agreed to advise the Agong to convene a special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat for five days from July 26, to explain the National Recovery Plan to MPs and amend the rules needed to allow a hybrid parliamentary sitting.

A sitting for the Dewan Negara meanwhile will be held from Aug 3 to 5.

The state of emergency was declared in January amid a spike in Covid-19 infections which also saw the enforcement of the second movement control order across large parts of the country.

Under the emergency declaration, Parliament and state assembly sittings were suspended.

Wong said although Anwar and other PH leaders had given suggestions on how to tackle the pandemic, these had not focused on the main issues.

He referred to a speech made by Anwar on June 30 titled “A Covid-19 Report and the Financial Situation of the People”.

“Anwar and PH were ready with criticism but the fundamental issues were not given focus,” he said.

Even if the PN government is toppled, he said, the people’s happiness might be short-lived if the new administration does not have clear policies and strategies to restore the country from the effects of the pandemic.

“I am not at all defending Muhyiddin,” he wrote in a recent article on Malaysiakini. “As one of his 30 million bosses, I am glad that he is facing so many competitors, from the opposition and from within his own government.

“But I want real competition and real change.”