Prof Dr Jayum Jawan (left) and Assoc Prof Awang Azman Awang Pawi
KUCHING (Aug 17): Academician Prof Dr Jayum Jawan does not believe that the political power play in the country would end with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation as the Prime Minister, or with the appointment of a new one.
This was because whoever being appointedthe new premierwould be leading a government that was already in a position of weakness, he pointed out.
“Even after the next GE15 (15th general election), the position of the appointed Prime Minister would still be as shaky as the two previous ones – if there’s no single political party that could secure an absolute majority.
“That’s a fact and there’s not much that any leader or prime minister could do about it,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
Jayum said the solution would for one political party to win more than 112 parliamentary seats so that the smaller parties would not be able to rock the leadership, as they could now.
Istana Negara yesterday confirmed that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had resigned as Prime Minister together with his Cabinet, in an earlier royal audience.
In a statement, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah also announced that Muhyiddin would now serve as a caretaker prime minister until his successor, who would command the majority of the Dewan Rakyat, had been appointed from among the MPs.
Muhyiddin took over from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in March last year without any election.
However, things had not been easy for Muhyiddin in that his administration had weak parliamentary support, and its legitimacy had always been questioned.
In this regard, socio-political analyst Assoc Prof Awang Azman Awang Pawi said being tasked with the role of a caretaker prime minister, Muhyiddin must be seen as being ‘neutral’.
“A caretaker prime minister is someone who temporarily fills the leadership seat in the government, without any ambition to continue holding the office on their own,” he said.
“The caretaker prime minister would continue to perform some governmental duties and functions until a regular government is elected or formed.
“The caretaker prime minister’s activities are limited by customs and conventions.
“Thus, Muhyiddin being the caretaker prime minister would not be fully involved in any political affairs and as such, he needs to remain neutral,” added Awang Azman.
Adding further, Jayum remarked: “A caretaker prime minister takes over the running of the government temporarily.
“The interim or caretaker prime minister does not make or change government policies that are already established. He is bound only to running the day-to-day matters and to hand over the seat of power to the next person appointed as prime minister.”