PAKATAN Harapan is not resting on its laurels but it needs more time to make good its pledges  and solve the country’s problems, said Home Affairs Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

“I agree that there are promises that are yet to be fulfilled but we are not trying to find excuses,” he said, addressing a widely-held perception that the government has made little progress in resolving some issues.

“We understand their concerns but we need to solve the bigger problems first.

“We work hard enough to put things back in order but it takes time. The issues are not normal, they’re big and have affected the country. It requires effort and strong political will,” he said in a recent interview in conjunction with PH’s first year anniversary in Putrajaya.

The Bersatu president said the government will need two to three years to put the country back in order and to resolve major issues.

He said much of the good work PH has done is not being communicated to the people. He added there is a need for ministers to communicate effectively, especially through social media.

“We acknowledge (the lack of communication) and we are stepping up communication and interaction via social media.”

The veteran politician said many of PH’s ministers are young and inexperienced, and had devoted more attention to ministerial affairs instead of communication.

Apart from Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Muhyiddin is the only cabinet member with experience, having served in the previous Barisan Nasional cabinet.

His portfolios then were youth and sports, agriculture and agro based industry’s, domestic trade and consumerism, international trade and industry, and education.

His last position was deputy prime minister before he was dropped from the cabinet in 2015 by then prime minister Najib Razak.

He was subsequently sacked from Umno in June 2016.

Comparing his experiences serving under BN and PH,  Muhyiddin said the current administration has  different issues to contend with. 

For instance, PH has to clean up the mess left by a kleptocratic government, he said, which includes solving financial irregularities, mismanagement and corruption, said Muhyiddin.

Nonetheless, he said it is not all that different being in this current government as there are some common matters that all administrations have to address, such as those related to the economy.

He added that the government should be given more time to address the issues it has inherited.

It would be fairer, he said, to judge PH’s performance in one or two more years. – May 6, 2019.