March 2, 2020
As the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia Muhyiddin Yassin is sworn in before the king on Sunday, the new government led by him shoulders heavy responsibility to move on.
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Muhyiddin Yassin took the oath to be the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia at the palace on Sunday morning. This has put various speculations on `more changes` to a stop.
This means that since former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad resigned last Monday, the tug of war which lasted six days on who is taking over the government has come to an end. The king has appointed Muhyiddin as the Prime Minister according to Article 40 (2)(a) and Article 43 (2)(a) of the Federal Constitution.
The King is of the view that this is the best decision and he hopes that the appointment will put the political crisis to an end. The country needs a government to ensure people and the country are in the state of harmony.
Life should be back to normalcy by now and people are no longer distracted due to different stands.
The political coalition which has become the opposition now should keep a cool head and present their disputes in accordance with law.
The new government is facing various challenges by taking over at this juncture when the global economy is slowing down and the Covid-19 outbreak is affecting the entire world.
The new government is formed by various political parties with different objectives. Many of them do not have the experience to be a ruling coalition. Nevertheless, there are many experienced former ministers in the coalition too. Muhyiddin, as the new Prime Minister, would need to draw up a new plan to lead the government.
A joint government would need time to align and this will be the internal challenge for the coalition. On the external front, it is required to lead the nation to overcome economic issues for Malaysia to be out of the dilemma of Covid-19 outbreak and the gloomy economy. This would be the first test for the Muhyiddin-led government.
As a veteran political leader of 49 years, Muhyiddin is experienced in politics. He was the parliamentary secretary of Foreign Affairs Ministry 39 years ago, Menteri Besar of Johor for nine years, Youth and Sports Minister, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister, Agricultural and Agro-based Minister, Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister and Home Minister. Among the leaders in the new coalition, he tops the list in terms of his vast exposure and seniority in government positions.
Muhyiddin is familiar with the administration of both the federal government and state government. His vast experience will help him to set up an effective Cabinet to lead the country.
The greatest issue now is still the slowdown in economy. People are hoping to end the political crisis fast so that the country would be able to move on. It is time to attract foreign investors who have been standing by the side to enter Malaysia market as soon as possible.