The opposition leader has accused the government of a cover-up on the missing Flight MH370 and the prime minister remains mum on this allegation.

Criticising Najib Abdul Razak for his silence, former minister Zaid Ibrahim said it is the prime minister who must respond, not the likes of Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar.

He urged Najib to respond to Anwar Ibrahim's allegations in Parliament.

"If found to be baseless, and that Anwar was merely on a frolic and politicking on a national tragedy, then Parliament should expel him.

"The opposition leader has a responsibility to Parliament and to the nation but so has the prime minister, who must deal with issues openly and for the benefit of the public.

"If, however, there has indeed been a cover-up, then Najib must resign," Zaid added in his blog.

The former de facto law minister also called for heads to roll over the latest kidnapping in Sabah.

"Putting Esscom (Eastern Sabah Security Command) in place is not enough.

"Can we also replace the Sabah chief of police and even the home minister every time a security breach occurs, so that the people holding these posts know that that is the price to pay for making Malaysia unsafe?" Zaid asked.

Last Wednesday's kidnapping was the second kidnapping in Sabah by Filipino militants since the creation of Esscom.

Esscom was created following a large scale incursion by Sulu fighters from the Philippines last year on Lahad Datu, Sabah, which left nine members of the Malaysian security forces and at least 67 intruders dead.

Signs of weakness

Meanwhile, Zaid noted that Najib appeared unable to deal with the numerous crises in the country.

"I do not think the prime minister is that bad, but he is slowly showing signs of being unable to deal with crises effectively and with the assurance required of a prime minister.

"I am not just referring to the Merdeka Center report that Najib's popularity is now at its lowest since he became prime minister. The apparent weaknesses in his leadership on several issues are obvious. He must deal with them soon," he added.

As for the kidnapping in Sabah, Zaid said the state is no longer safe for locals and tourists.

"What is so tragic is that whenever such security breaches occur (and they occur on regular basis), the prime minister does not think it necessary to make someone accountable for the lapse," he said.

On MH370, the former minister said the people expected the government to make clear the slew of measures it was going to undertake to prevent a repeat of the incident.

"These are answers the prime minister must give the nation, in addition to the media briefings on the search for the missing plane," he added.

Concurrently, Zaid noted, the country was also facing a water crisis afflicting Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Johor and again the prime minister appears to have done nothing, other than announcing cloud-seeding operations.

"The usual answer is that water is the responsibility of the individual state but that was decided 60 years ago.

"To keep to this archaic arrangement, knowing how things have changed in the country, and not wanting to deal with the problems effectively is a clear abdication of responsibility," Zaid added.