Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob can stop the instability caused by both divided leadership and uncertainty about who is in charge, by asking former Prime Minister and his predecessor Muhyiddin Yassin to resign as Chairman of the NRC for mocking Ismail’s failure to manage the country’s economy. If Azalina Othman Said from UMNO was compelled to resign as special adviser to the prime minister on 29 August 2022, for attacking the Prime Minister, there is no reason for Muhyiddin not to suffer the same fate for doing exactly what Azalina did.
There is no point for Ismail to trade blame with Muhyiddin on who should be equally responsible for failing to manage the economy by stating that it is Bersatu Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Economic Affairs Mustapa Mohamed who is managing the economy. After Muhyiddin decided to break with the Prime Minister by adopting PH’s economic narrative, that Malaysians are currently struggling with the depreciating ringgit, rising inflation and food prices, severe labour shortage and post-pandemic economic woes, Ismail must display decisive leadership by addressing these issues to instil public and investors’ confidence.
Muhyiddin has directly challenged the Prime Minister by saying that the poor economic stewardship and the depreciating ringgit is likely the reason why only a third of those polled in a survey are satisfied with Ismail Sabri’s performance as PM. With the ringgit dipping down to RM4.56 yesterday, the food import bill of RM63 billion last year will be pricier this year.
Muhyiddin expressed his frustrations that his suggestions for a further bank loan moratorium for SMEs and addressing the foreign worker shortage, especially in the palm oil industry has been ignored. This justifies PH’s arguments that the labour shortage due to Ministerial incompetence has resulted in projected RM28 billion palm oil industry losses this year, up from RM21 billion last year.
What is the point of retaining Muhyiddin as NRC chairman if his and the NRC’s suggestions are ignored and cast aside? Ismail has to decide by next month whether to submit to UMNO’s pressure and self-interest by calling for general elections during the monsoon season of massive floods this year, but he must do that from a position of strength and authority, and not with a divided government.