BARISAN Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has told Muhyiddin Yassin to stop complaining  and turn his attention to turning the Perikatan Nasional coalition into a worthy opposition.

The deputy prime minister told Muhyiddin and his allies to move on.

“They should instead look to the example set by DAP, which has put the interests of the nation above any individual or party and moved on to make the unity government proposed by the king a success,” Zahid said on Facebook today.

Zahid said the Bersatu chairman and his allies should be ashamed of appearing power hungry to the point of defying the Malay rulers.

He noted that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had consented to the appointment of Anwar Ibrahim to the country’s top office.

“The king had also sought the views of the other Malay rulers to help him decide. (As for the cabinet), the prime minister had discussed (the appointments) with the Agong before announcing them.

“Muhyiddin should respect these appointments. Muhyiddin and his allies’ continuous dispute of the appointments show that they do not respect the Malay rulers’ institution,” Zahid said.

The Bagan Datuk lawmaker said Muhyiddin was being shortsighted when he complained that Anwar had taken on the finance minister’s portfolio.

Zahid said Anwar had received awards from the Euro Money and Asia Money magazines for his work as finance minister back in the 1990s.

“Anwar was named Asian of the Year and Malaysia was regarded as an (emerging) Asian tiger when he was finance minister. Surely investors would feel more confident with Anwar at the helm of the ministry,” he said.

Yesterday Muhyiddin had slammed Anwar’s cabinet choices.

“This is the most disappointing cabinet line-up in the country’s history, when a person who has been told to enter his defence to 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption, and money-laundering, is appointed deputy prime minister.

“Anwar’s act is akin to selling the country’s dignity so that he can remain prime minister,” the Pagoh MP said on Facebook.

Muhyiddin called Anwar’s cabinet “kleptocratic”, saying it had no legitimacy to function as the country’s highest executive body.

The former prime minister also slammed Anwar for holding the finance portfolio, which Muhyiddin said could lead to the centralisation of power.

“How can the people and investors trust Anwar’s leadership, when he has clearly lied to the whole world about his stance against graft and his plans for institutional reform and the people’s welfare?

In response, PH communications director Fahmi Fadzil said all three parties in the unity government had agreed to the cabinet selection.

He said Muhyiddin should know that in a unity government, it was not up to Anwar to appoint whomever he wished. – December 4, 2022.