Kuala Lumpur: Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin believes that his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic will help him win votes for Perikatan Nasional in the general election on Nov 19.
Muhyiddin, who led the nation from March 2020 to August 2021, told Nikkei Asia that he dealt well with the unprecedented health crisis, despite criticisms of prolonged lockdowns that some have blamed for a rise in unemployment and poverty rates.
“What I had done for the last two years in managing not just the Covid-19 pandemic, but the economy, has had a positive impact towards the people,” said 75-year-old Muhyiddin, who chairs PN. The coalition had 47 seats in Parliament out of 222 before it was dissolved for the polls.
Muhyiddin said he had no regrets over the decisions he took about lockdowns. “People were unhappy when they were not allowed to move around all the time, but when (Covid-19) happened, this was the best solution we had,” he said.
“It was not just Malaysia that was practicing it, it was all over the world and, matter of fact, China is still imposing it.”
PN comprises five parties, namely the Muhyiddin-led Bersatu, PAS, Gerakan, Bornean-based Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP). The coalition is contesting 171 federal seats this time.
Almost all of Muhyiddin’s tenure as prime minister was focused on combating Covid-19. He announced the country’s first lockdown and border closures in March 2020, barely two weeks after being named for the top job.
From then until August 2021, he imposed various forms of movement restrictions, and only allowed the partial resumption of economic activities, paralysing small- and medium-sized industries and hurting growth.
However, his decisions were justified later by the high number of Covid-19 cases that the country suffered during that period – up to 30,000 new cases per day – with public health care at full capacity.
He also sought emergency declarations from the King to implement several new law ordinances without going through Parliament. However, critics alleged that he implemented those changes to protect his government from collapsing amid threats from Umno to withdraw support for the government.
Umno, the country’s largest and oldest political party, eventually pulled its support and forced Muhyiddin to resign on Aug 16, 2021. He was succeeded by Umno vice-president and then deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Despite his patchy record, Muhyiddin remained confident about public support for his coalition, as “people have realised that what was done was for their benefit.”
Muhyiddin is a seasoned politician with over four decades in public life, of which two-thirds was in Umno. Muhyiddin last served as the party’s deputy president and deputy prime minister in 2015 under Najib Razak’s premiership, before being sacked for voicing concerns over problems at sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
“There is a chance that we would have enough numbers to form the government,” Muhyiddin said.
The ruling Barisan Nasional, of which Umno is a coalition partner, is facing some pushback from voters concerned about its association with corrupt individuals, claimed Muhyiddin.
Najib was convicted and jailed for corruption related to 1MDB in one of the biggest scandals to hit the country, but remains popular with some of the Umno base.
There is also unease among critics that Umno is pushing for an early federal election despite warnings that the country was about to be lashed by heavy monsoon rains that could cause floods and affect the ability of millions of Malaysians to vote.
“The waves against (BN) could turn stronger before (polling) day, and if it happens, there is a chance that we would have enough numbers to form the government,” said Muhyiddin. A party or coalition must win a minimum of 112 seats for a simple majority.
PN rejects corrupt politics and governance, said Muhyiddin. “I was at the forefront of all this … I was the first to make noise about 1MDB while in the Cabinet, for which Najib later sacked me,” he claimed.
The Nov 19 polls will determine which parties will rule the country for the next five years and provide some political stability. Malaysia has been rocked by political turmoil and has had three prime ministers since the last elections in 2018. Umno was behind the collapse of two governments led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Muhyiddin.
