Dr M: Muhyiddin has other jobs to do
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has brushed off Johor Umno's suggestion that Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin be nominated for the state's menteri besar post.
"He has other jobs, we will put up a candidate," said Mahathir, who is also the chairperson of Bersatu, which is mandated to take the lead role in Johor Pakatan Harapan...
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has brushed off Johor Umno's suggestion that Bersatu president and Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin be nominated for the state's menteri besar post.
"He has other jobs. We will put up a candidate," said Mahathir, when asked today after launching the Malaysian Autoshow 2019 in Serdang, Selangor.
Bersatu, which Mahathir chairs, has been mandated to take the lead role in Johor Pakatan Harapan.
Johor Umno leader and state opposition leader Hasni Mohammad told Malaysiakini yesterday that he will be nominating Muhyiddin as the new menteri besar when he is granted an audience with the Johor ruler on Friday.
Hasni also said he would recommend the dissolution of the Johor legislative assembly.
When asked about Hasni's suggestion, Mahathir said Hasni was not in the position to make such demands.
"It is the winning party that (chooses) the MB, not the losers.
"The losers keep quiet," he said told reporters.
The post fell vacant after Bersatu’s Osman Sapian resigned on Monday week, after just 11 months at the job.
Apparent front runners for the post are Bersatu Bukit Kepong assemblyperson Sahruddin Jamal, PKR Semerah assemblyperson Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar and Amanah Parit Yaani assemblyperson Aminolhuda Hassan.
All three presently sit on the state’s executive council.
Who’s choice is it anyway
Mahathir and Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar have since engaged in a public tiff as to who has the prerogative to appoint Osman’s replacement.
Similar to what he said today, Mahathir maintained that Bersatu had the right to select a new MB, while Sultan Ibrahim has warned “certain quarters” not to meddle in the state’s affairs.
Mahathir subsequently stressed that Malaysia is a democracy with a constitutional monarchy, not an absolute monarchy where rulers had the final word on choosing leaders.
Meanwhile, in a statement, lawyer and Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh described the actions of the Johor opposition leader in making proposals on the MB dispute to the state ruler as “shocking”.
“I note Muhyiddin has responded saying that he will not take up the said MB post today.
“With respect, there is no provision allowing Hasni to do this in the Johor state constitution and he may be misleading His Royal Highness (Sultan Ibrahim) in his attempt to do so,” Ramkarpal’s statement read.
The DAP lawmaker added that Hasni’s reliance on Article 23(2) of the Johor constitution was “certainly without basis” as the said article provides for the dissolution of the state assembly by the ruler in a general sense, such as when a general election is called, and not in specific situations such as the MB resigning.
As the coalition with the comfortable majority in the state assembly, Ramkarpal reminded the opposition that it was Harapan’s prerogative to submit a list of names, or even just one name, to the sultan.
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