LIM Guan Eng has questioned Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s decision to appoint Muhyiddin Yassin as the chairman of the National Recovery Council.

The DAP secretary-general said in a statement that the appointment showed Ismail was not serious and committed to the country’s recovery plan.

“Has Ismail Sabri run out of ideas so quickly after two weeks as prime minister that he must rely on the previously failed prime minister?”

“He runs the risk of being… Muhyiddin 2.0, the worst prime minister in Malaysia’s history, (who) mismanaged the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a record 1,824,439 infections and 17,883 deaths on September 4, as well as the worst economic crisis in our modern era,” Lim said.

Yesterday, chief secretary Mohd Zuki Ali said the government had agreed to appoint Muhyiddin as the NRC chairman with ministerial status.

According to Zuki, the cabinet made this decision at its meeting on September 1 and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had been informed of the appointment.

“The appointment was made based on Muhyiddin’s ability to spearhead the country’s recovery strategy and restore the lives of the people who were severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

Lim asked if Muhyiddin’s appointment was a form of consolation for the Pagoh member of Parliament after he was forced to resign as PM.

The MP for Bagan in Penang added, with Muhyiddin’s appointment, it shows the NRP is mere window dressing to mask the fact that the real decisions are made behind closed doors by a few powerful individuals hidden from the public eye.

Lim said the NRP should be headed by Ismail himself as he is the prime minister.

“In less than two weeks, Ismail has appointed as many ministers and deputy Ministers as Muhyiddin did in 17 months, totalling 74, wasting public funds and resources that could be better utilised to employ contract doctors.”

“If insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, appointing the very people who failed is worse when they could not even get it right the first time.”

“The NRP is supposed to be a roadmap to control the Covid-19 pandemic while progressively reopening society and the economy towards the new normal by December 2021.”

“By appointing the former prime minister to chair the NRP instead of himself, Ismail is diminishing its importance and relegating its powers… (making it) just another ordinary committee,” Lim said.

Muhyiddin, the country’s eighth PM, resigned in mid-August following the loss of support in Parliament.

The Bersatu president had tried to persuade the opposition to let him stay in power by offering put into motion several reforms but the offer was rejected.

The Pagoh MP had no choice but to relinquish his post and backed Ismail, who is from Umno.

Ismail was sworn in after the Umno vice-president garnered support from 114 MPs. – September 5, 2021.