It's time to step down, Muhyiddin - former ministers

29 July 2021

By Ilona Andrew

KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today received a heavy blow after the public reiterated its call for him to resign as Prime Minister, this time more persistently, following the King's rebuke today.

Earlier today, Istana Negara issued a statement saying that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was in dismay when the Perikatan Nasional (PN)-led government revoked all the Emergency Ordinances without his consent.

Besides the public and several other lawmakers, former ministers have also spoken up to concur the call for the prime minister to step down.

The former international trade and industry minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz mentioned that just like the public, she also felt disappointed with the latest crisis hatched by the backdoor government.

"It has been announced officially that His Majesty has not been informed of the decision to prematurely end the emergency. This is an act to dismiss the role of the King and cannot be accepted.

"This government has clearly ignored and does not care about the democratic processes as stated in the Malaysian constitution. Those involved must be punished equivalently, or step down," she said in her Facebook posting.

Meanwhile, Former Federal Minister in charge of urban wellbeing, housing and local government, as well as the economic planning unit Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said: "Oh PN, what have you done? You have plunged this country into uncharted waters."

"The Sovereign is “Ketua Utama Negara”. Diluting away Agong’s position just to cling to power is most unbecoming… and dangerous too!"

He also opined that the King's expressing dismay is just another way of saying that the Royal is in wrath.

"His Majesty is still kind in reprimanding the government's actions. Don't let the word 'stubborn' or 'rebellious' come out of his mouth!"

Another former minister, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said that de facto Law Minister Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan's historic announcement would not have been done without Muhyiddin's approval.

"Today, I am proud of my King. I am waiting for Umno to react; to be true to their promise of defending the honours of the integrity of the Malay Rulers.

"If the prime minister and his cabinet do not resign today, where do we Malaysians hide our faces ... Expect a new government next week," said the former minister of in the Prime Minister's Department for Legal Affairs and Judicial Reform.

On the other hand, political secretary to former Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said: "The whole Cabinet is collectively responsible and must resign."

"If you are a democrat, the Government has lied to the Dewan Rakyat. If you are a monarchist, the Government has ridiculed the royal institution.

"If you uphold the Constitution, this government has ignored the Federal Constitution," said Syahredzan Johan.