KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 — The appointment of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as interim prime minister will not affect the country’s administration in the short term, said political analyst from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Prof Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani.
He said in the absence of government, top civil service officers such as the Attorney General, Chief Secretary to the Government, Ministries’ secretaries-general and the Chief Justice would play their role in administering the country.
“Right now, the country is without a government. We have a prime minister, but we do not have a cabinet lineup so only this group of administrators are in power. In the absence of government, new policies or laws cannot be implemented.
“This group of administrators can only act according to existing policies until a new government is formed. Therefore, it is important to resolve this political crisis immediately,” he told Bernama today.
Yesterday the Prime Minister’s Office announced in a statement that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had submitted his resignation as the seventh prime minister and the letter was sent to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at 1pm.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had yesterday appointed Dr Mahathir as interim prime minister, after accepting his resignation.
Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN), Datuk Seri Mohd Zuki Ali in a statement said His Majesty had agreed to appoint Dr Mahathir as interim Prime Minister while waiting for the appointment of a new Prime Minister in accordance with Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution.
Political analyst from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Prof Sivamurugan Pandian who is in agreement with Mohd Azizuddin, said Dr Mahathir’s tenure as interim prime minister should not be prolonged as the government needs to function without interruption.
“The constitution provides for the right to appoint cabinet members but for now, we have no cabinet members yet and their roles are taken over by the KSN who may not be able to make certain decisions.
“For this reason I feel that the interim period should not be too long so as not to interfere with administration process at the national level. Moreover, in the constitution, there is no such thing as interim,” he added.
Meanwhile, political analyst from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Assoc Prof Mohammad Fuad Othman said Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) exit from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition had indirectly affected the composition of political parties in the states.
Dr Mahathir also resigned as Bersatu chairman yesterday.
“With Bersatu leaving the PH coalition, we have to look at states like Kedah and Perak where the Mentri Besar are from Bersatu.
“Do they still command majority support in the state legislative assembly,” he asked adding that at the state level, support is seen according to political blocs. — Bernama
