IN a statement today, Pejuang said the National Recovery Council (NRC) should take over the role and responsibilities from the government, and be given executive powers to handle the pandemic, reporting directly to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

Citing Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s failure to address the pandemic, the party said the NRC should be handled by experts and professionals, and not the present government, which has failed to control the Covid-19 pandemic.

The statement stops short of calling for the present government to resign and leave the running of the country to the NRC, which shall be staffed by professionals who don’t owe any allegiance to any political parties.

Wakil Rakyat, which was voted in by the people on May 9, 2018, and are members of the present government thereby revert to the role for which they were voted in. This is to wakil the rakyat and not to administer and manage the affairs of the country.

Effectively, the country will be administered and managed by two groups, ie the cabinet and the NRC. Even though the statement said the NRC is to address the issues of the pandemic, you cannot compartmentalise and individualise resolving the spread of Covid-19 from the economic and financial management of the country, because they are mutually intertwined.

In this scenario, does it mean the NRC has the executive power to order the executive branch of the government to carry out its instructions? If yes, it would appear that the role of the present government is made redundant.

Who in Pejuang’s mind shall be the appropriate person to head the NRC? Dr Mahathir Mohamad?

He has already publicly said the present government should make use of all his experience handling financial and political crises, as well as attacks on our currency.

The country will pray for his continued good health but he admitted that he won’t be around for long.

Accordingly, who will take over the mantle from him in the event he is no longer able to fulfill what he set out to do, within the specified timeframe?

He has stated several times that his successors failed in managing the country.

The nation needs to know and be assured that the designated replacement will be able to continue with the plans he sets forth for the NRC and not fall into the same category as his successors. – July 17, 2021.

* FLK reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.