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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin reiterated on Monday (March 1) that he will dissolve parliament once the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
In a speech taking stock of his first year in office, he said: “The main focus of this government at this time is to keep this country away from the double blow of the economic and health crises. Once the pandemic is over, which I hope will be very soon, I will advise Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament. “
“Until that time, my colleagues in Cabinet and I will continue to carry out our duties and responsibilities to the best of our ability.”
He added that when the elections are held, it will be the people who decide whether the government of Perikatan Nasional (PN) should be re-elected.
“You are free to choose and that is what democracy is all about,” he said.
Muhyiddin’s speech also addressed other governance issues, including plans to drive economic recovery in 2021, along with job creation and strengthening the digital economy.
The prime minister said Malaysia’s economic position is expected to improve in 2021. According to January projections from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Malaysia’s economy is expected to grow by 7% and 6.7% respectively, He said.
Even with the resumption of economic activities, he said, movement restrictions were still necessary at international and interstate borders and for social and commercial activities where social distancing was not possible.
“The reopening of these activities can only be done once immunization has reached a certain level in terms of population coverage,” he said.
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin receives the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 (Malaysia Ministry of Health, via AP).
To further help people during this period, Muhyiddin said the government will provide targeted assistance for the poor and those who have lost their income and increased business support, especially for those who cannot operate or reopen after the Control Order. Movement (MCO).
Other measures include focusing on the public service delivery system and prioritizing the government’s digitization agenda to transform Malaysia’s economy into a knowledge-based one.
Regarding international travel, Muhyiddin noted that a Green Lane reciprocal agreement with Singapore was agreed last year, adding that the government would work to create similar RGLs with other countries.
READ: Singapore to suspend reciprocal green lane agreements with Malaysia, Germany and South Korea for 3 months
Monday marked a year since Muhyiddin took office after the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government.
In the power contest in Putrajaya last year, he emerged as the candidate who likely won the support of the majority of MPs to be prime minister.
His immediate task was to combat the spread of COVID-19 infections, which were first detected in January 2020.
Its PN government placed Malaysia under a lockdown known as MCO on March 18, and now, almost a year later, Malaysia has recorded more than 300,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 1,100 deaths.
During his year-long administration, the prime minister has narrowly survived a series of leadership tests, the most recent being the approval of the 2021 national budget in November last year.
Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has maintained that it was he who commanded a “strong, formidable and compelling majority” of MPs to form a new government, while two MPs from the United Malays National Organization, part of the PN administration publicly withdrew their support. for Muhyiddin in early January this year.
The same month, a state of emergency was declared across the country, as the public health system was said to be at its breaking point. This led to the suspension of parliament, while the executive and judicial powers continued to function.
READ: COVID-19: Malaysian Business Owners and Trade Groups Urge No Another Total Lockdown
In response to criticism over the legitimacy of his administration, Muhyiddin had previously stated that he would recommend to the king that he dissolve parliament to pave the way for a general election when the pandemic is under control.
Last Wednesday, the king said that parliament can meet during a state of emergency, a move that could open the door for the opposition to cast a new vote of confidence against Muhyiddin.
At the moment, several key states in Malaysia are under a lockdown called OLS 2.0, albeit one with looser restrictions in an attempt to balance lives and livelihoods.
Malaysia’s national COVID-19 vaccination program, which aims to cover 80 percent of its 32 million inhabitants, began last Wednesday when Muhyiddin and the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Noor Hisham Abdullah, were inoculated with vaccines. Pfizer-BioNTech.
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