Yesterday, former Minister Khairy Jamaluddin mooted a weekly showdown between the Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Prime Minister-designate while Parliament is in session.
Khairy’s proposal is interesting and should be common-place in any Parliament.
In the House of Commons, the clash between the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Opposition Leader, Keir Starmer, whether on the police or illegal immigration issue is commonplace.
But in Malaysia, it is a rarity. Everybody knows that Keir Starmer is the Prime Minister-designate, but is Hamzah Zainudin, the Opposition Leader, the Prime Minister-designate?
If Perikatan Nasional (PN) forms the government, it is either Muhyiddin Yassin or Abdul Hadi Awang who will be Prime Minister, and not Hamzah who is only in the second echelon of the leadership in Bersatu.
What is worse, all three –Muhyiddin, Hadi and Hamzah – have not posed a single question since the introduction of the Prime Minister’s Question-Time (PMQ) in the Malaysian Parliament in the last two months, as they were mostly absent during the PMQs.
In fact, there is “missing persons” posting of Muhyiddin, Hadi and Hamzah going the rounds in the social media with the wordings: “sesiapa yang jumpa sila lapor pada Parlimen Malaysia…”.
I have asked the question why Muhyiddin Yassin is not the Opposition Leader, or at least Hadi Awang, as they are the real leaders of Bersatu and PAS in the PN coalition.
I have hazarded three reasons why Muhyiddin did not want to become the Parliamentary Opposition Leader — that he did not want to be confronted especially in Parliament on three issues, namely:
- As the first backdoor Prime Minister in Malaysia who dared not test his legitimacy with a vote of confidence in Parliament.
- Illegitimate, illegal and unconstitutional suspension of Parliament.
- His abysmal failure to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic causing Malaysia to have the longest Covid-19 wave in the world and an exceedingly high casualty list.
Now, there is a fourth reason – the Jana Wibawa scandal.
I have been mystified by the storm that the PN MPs have been trying to create over Anwar’s visit to Saudi Arabia and his inability to meet with King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed Salman Al Saud.
Hadi is on record as denouncing Saudi Arabia as believing more in Israel and Zionists than in Allah and Islam.
If Hadi is right, then Anwar should be commended for not meeting the Saudi Arabia King and Crown Prince.
Hadi has not denied that he is a persona non grata in Saudi Arabia, the reason why he did not accompany Muhyiddin, the first Malaysian backdoor Prime Minister, during Muhyiddin’s official visit to Saudi Arabia in 2021 although Hadi was the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to the Middle East.
What is the stand on the PAS MPs on the inability of Anwar to meet with the Saudi Arabian King and Crown Prince?
Are they following Muhyiddin or Hadi?
It is open secret that PN hopes that Khairy will be the PN “poster boy” and become the PN Mentri Besar in Negri Sembilan if PN wins the Negri Sembilan state general election in July or August.
Will Khairy agree?