It S Over Muhyiddin

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A favourite phrase of mine when I talk about older, non-performing politicians is: “They just refuse to go away.”
Sadly, and unfortunately for the political health of this nation, there are quite a number of MPs way past their prime and political shelf-life still idling and loitering around the corridors of our august Parliament.
I’m not merely commenting from my armchair and plucking words out of thin ears; I’ve actually seen these oldies in Parliament. Some are personal friends too and we used to have tea at the cafeteria as well. At times, I couldn’t help but ask, “What the heck are they still doing in Parliament?”
Seriously, I see no reason why they should still be around. A legislator who is unable to contribute to the progress and development of the country is a nuisance to society at large and a burden to our public purse.
(I wish to avoid asking how many lawmakers actually passed away over the past 10 years, forcing by-elections and incurring millions from the public coffers in the process. About time that those offering themselves for public office must undergo a mandatory health clearance.)
Then, there are the odd senior lawmakers who have risen to the top of their political career, have even served as prime minister, and yet still refuse to go away voluntarily.
Worse, within this small so-called elite group are known opportunistic schemers who are all out to grab power at all costs.
It is sickening to know that we have senior politicians who engage in plotting to bring down rivals for only one reason - that is, in order to secure their own positions or promote the interests of their party or coalition.
Muhyiddin Yassin belongs in this category.
Scheming and plotting
It is unfortunate that despite his long political career spanning more than four decades and even after having reached the top, Muhyiddin is still very much involved in dirty scheming and plotting to bring down the Madani government of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Much to Muhyiddin’s surprise and shock, Sheraton 2.0 is unlikely to take place and the Bersatu president will probably have to wait out the next four years in the opposition.
Well, there is such a thing as karma. Because of Muhyiddin’s long history of scheming, backstabbing and treachery, it is no surprise today that the former prime minister is now facing serious problems within the party.
There is a reported revolt against his leadership and several Bersatu MPs have already pledged support for the Anwar administration.
It is quite clear that nothing works in Muhyiddin’s favour today. There is only one way for him to go and that is - down and out. I’m prepared to state, without hesitation, that “it’s over, Muhyiddin”.
Those who engage in questionable or unethical behaviour will have to face consequences for their actions. Muhyiddin is now paying the price for his many mistakes and he knows it.
His most recent major error was to arrogantly reject the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree for a unity government after the 15th general election in November last year. Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional coalition was also invited by the king to be part of the government.
A year later, we have now learnt that many in Bersatu had disapproved of their president’s decision. And that is why we are seeing the defections of Bersatu MPs.
The turmoil in Bersatu continued to worsen when the party demanded that their four MPs backing the unity government quit and stand as independents in by-elections to test the people’s support for them.
Bersatu information chief Razali Idris said the four have betrayed their voters and Bersatu grassroots with their move.
But we know that the four rogue MPs will not quit because they have done no wrong under the Anti-Hopping Act. There are talks that more Bersatu MPs will also support the government.
With Bersatu’s accounts frozen by the MACC in order to facilitate investigations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act, Muhyiddin has no more resources at his disposal to “feed” his party’s lawmakers.
When the party boss has no more dough to give, the MPs will have to look for other sources as they have obligations to their constituents. In politics, loyalty to the party hangs precariously on a thread when money is in the equation.
Ultimate betrayal of the people
It’s quite amazing to look at Muhyiddin’s background of scheming and plotting. Offhand, I can remember as far back as 1993 when Muhyiddin was part of Anwar’s team to mount a challenge against Ghafar Baba for the deputy presidency of Umno.
Then, he hanged around Dr Mahathir Mohamad to oust Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as prime minister. In 2015, Muhyiddin was sacked by then-premier Najib Abdul Razak from the cabinet.
He then plotted with Mahathir and Pakatan Harapan to take on Najib and BN in the 2018 election. Two years later, who could forget Muhyiddin’s role in the Sheraton Move?
To me, it was the most despicable act by Muhyiddin to bring down the duly elected government. That was the ultimate betrayal of the people.
The infamous gathering of leaders at the Sheraton Petaling Jaya Hotel in 2020Along the way, Muhyiddin also got rid of Mahathir, the then Bersatu chairperson, from the party. He then managed to wriggle his way into the premiership, earning the shameful tag as the first backdoor prime minister of Malaysia.
Karma must know when to step in. Muhyiddin lasted only 17 months as prime minister and he had to step down in August 2021 after having lost his majority in Parliament.
Sadly, Muhyiddin has learned nothing from all his evil scheming and plotting of the past and is still desirous of toppling Anwar as prime minister in order to be back in the driver’s seat.
Born in 1947, Muhyiddin is 76 today. Why should Malaysians choose an 80-year-old known schemer, traitor and opportunist as prime minister after GE16 in 2027?
Instead, we should tell him loud and clear in unison, “It’s over, Muhyiddin!” - Mkini
FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is a veteran Sarawak editor and heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS). He can be reached at [email protected].
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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