UNDER-PRESSURE Muhyiddin Yassin can still win over Malaysians if he starts listening not only to his inner circle but to the rulers and the opposition, said analysts.

The Malay rulers have stated their stand on the pandemic and economic issues while the opposition is calling for his head.

All this can be easily resolved if the prime minister starts listening to what people are saying, the analysts said.

What Muhyiddin needs most to do now is to convene parliament as decreed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, they said.

International Islamic University lecturer Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar said Muhyiddin is treading a thin line by continuing to delay parliament.

“The message from the rulers is very clear that parliament should convene as soon as possible,” Tunku Mohar told The Malaysian Insight.

He said Muhyiddin must prove it is not safe for the House to meet if he insists on putting it off.

“That may still not hold water as people believe there is no need to wait any longer to hold parliament as the MPs have been inoculated.”

Last week, Muhyiddin had said a bipartisan committee had been formed to look into convening parliament.

He said the committee would consider whether it should be a physical or virtual sitting.

On June 16, the king, after a meeting with the Malay rulers, decreed that parliament should convene immediately to debate the Covid-19 response.

The Malay rulers, in a separate statement, said the emergency should not be extended beyond August 1.

Tunku Mohar said Muhyiddin should listen to advice not only from within his party circles, but also from the royal institution, the opposition, health and legal experts.

“The appearance of being insolent will not help improve his image,” the political lecturer said.

“He should be more forthright in what the government will do to overcome the crises that the Malay rulers have correctly identified.”

Tunku Mohar also said Muhyiddin’s recovery plan does not explain how the government is going to bring the country from one stage of the recovery plan to the next.

“There are four stages, but what is the government doing to get the country to achieve the targets of the three indicators? What would be the plans if the vaccine supplies suddenly slowed down?

“I believe Malaysians want this government to do its job to address and overcome the crises and stop politicking just to cling on to power.

“There’s political fatigue. I think Malaysians would accept a government that can treat the opposition as partners, not enemies, in addressing all these crises.

Tunku Mohar also said it would be interesting to see Muhyiddin’s approval rating now, since there is a lot of grievances among the people especially those whose daily wages are affected.

He said the aid packages should also be extended to them.

“The middle class is also unhappy with the situation. There’s this thinking that the government is prone to protecting the banks (loan moratorium), and not the people,” Tunku Mohar said in reference to banks not giving out a blanket loan moratorium just as they did during the first movement-control order last year.

Malaysians want clear leadership

Political scientist Prof Wong Chin Huat said Malaysians want clear leadership in fighting the pandemic and saving the economy.

They want assurances that the hardships they are facing now will yield results and not relapses after a brief relief.

Wong said leadership can be summed up rather simply such as coherent and consistent policies without blindspots and flip flops.

He said there should be consistent and impartial enforcement of policies, standard operating procedure without double standard and leniency for the powerful and well connected.

“Honesty, transparency and humility. The government, unfortunately, has a serious trust deficit now with the public even suspicious when the government announces a low number of daily Covid-19 cases.

“Politicians should focus on governance and not elections or power grabbing, when the government’s term still has 25 months to go.”

Wong added that the reopening of Parliament will make one certain difference and two potential ones.

The certain one: ministers and senior civil servants would be more careful in making decisions, more open to public opinion, less daring for power abuse.

“This is to spare themselves from public humiliation, subject to the skills and preparation by opposition MPs and government backbenchers.

“We may see significantly more coherent policies and mindful implementation.”

He said the potential ones are that the government may collapse at the next major policy missteps.

“All it takes is tacit cooperation between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Umno, like what happened in Perak last December.

“If the speaker stands in the way, he can be voted out first. However, there is no guarantee the new government will last longer than the ousted one,” Wong said.

Another potential outcome, Wong said, is that if Muhyiddin assesses his strengths and weaknesses, then he might reach out to PH and Umno and appeal for a political ceasefire via a confidence and supply agreement (CSA).

“With a political ceasefire, the government can make difficult decisions with the support of the opposition who have been consulted.”

Government must hear people’s plight

Universiti Malaya’s Prof Awang Azman Awang Pawi also agreed that Muhyiddin should convene parliament to placate the people.

“He does not have to worry about the no-confidence vote, because in Umno, there are divisions in supporting the no-confidence vote against his leadership.

“DAP had previously said they will not participate in the no-confidence vote against the prime minister.

“There are also no general elections, so Muhyiddin’s position is still safe even though many thinks that his time is coming up.”

Awang said it is crucial that Muhyiddin has a solid transformation plan on various assistance and economic stimulus to enable the economy to recover.

He said the people also want their voices to be heard on the i-Sinar programme, loan moratoriums and subsidies for cooking oil and others.

“All of this leads to a huge impact on the lower class. The people want a convincing economic plan, which is not clear (now).

“It is not that the aid given by the government to the B40 and M40 is not enough, but it is not effective (in the long run). The amount of aid mentioned is in the billions, but it’s only helping a small number.”

Awang also said that the vaccination process must be expedited and expenditures that are seen as unnecessary must be dropped.

“The governance of expenditure, allocation and tenders needs to be seen to be more transparent and accountable.”

The total lockdown was imposed for two weeks from June 1 as a measure to flatten the Covid-19 curve, following a sharp rise in the daily number of cases since early April.

It was extended for another two weeks from June 15 to June 28 as cases continue to remain at more than 4,000. – June 26, 2021.