Better hold election if PM can’t manage economy - Muhyiddin

SHAH ALAM – National Recovery Council (MPN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin says holding the general election might be a good idea after all since there is no comprehensive solution to the economic recovery process under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's management.

Muhyiddin said if the Prime Minister continued to fail in managing the country and the economy, a general election should be held so that the people could elect a capable government.

He had in a Facebook post said a December 2021 research by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research showed that 12 per cent of the people had began skipping meals while another 12 per cent had to put on hold medical treatment and 31 per cent were behind on their bills.

The Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman also referred to another study by research firm Mindshare which showed that 61 per cent of Malaysians were now in the B60 group with household incomes below RM5,000 after the Covid-19 pandemic.

He added that 76 per cent of the group earned less than RM3,000 monthly.

"The fall in ringgit value, the rise in inflation, and the post-pandemic economic situation have had a detrimental effect on the lives of the people.

“If the ringgit continues to fall, the price of food items will become more expensive,” he said.

As MPN chairman, he said he had voiced out his concerns and made a number of recommendations to the government which included the reintroduction of the moratorium for the micro, small and medium-scale enterprises that were affected.

He said many other recommendations have been submitted by MPN to accelerate the country's economic recovery process including for the tourism sector, facilitating loan applications for businesses in need of capital and resolving the issue of labour shortage.

He said many businesses were forced to downsize or cease operations due to labour shortage.

“This issue was raised in every MPN meeting and reported to the cabinet, but there has yet to be any comprehensive solution.

"The ringgit depreciation was also not taken seriously. The Prime Minister has not explained the measures that would be taken by the government to curb the fall in the ringgit value. It is as if Malaysia is not in a crisis. As if everything is okay.

“But I know that everything is not okay out there,” he said.

He said it seemed like the Prime Minister did not take the issue seriously noting that it might be the reason why only 35 per cent of the people were satisfied with the latter’s performance.

In terms of the country’s economic management, Muhyiddin said only 18 per cent were satisfied recording the worst performance.

Muhyiddin said he has instructed the PN machinery to continue helping the people in need including distributing food baskets and organising the Prihatin Sales Programme that offers daily necessities at cheap prices.

While Barisan Nasional (BN) was pressuring the Prime Minister to dissolve Parliament immediately so that the election could be held, Muhyiddin said he has not got to the point of urging the Prime Minister to do so.

“However, it would be good for elections to be held soon,” he said.