KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — A year after the “Sheraton Move” that triggered a change in government, two MPs said that the current Malay-Muslim centric Perikatan Nasional (PN) government has been too busy politicking to look after the people’s needs.
Reflecting on the past year, Semporna MP Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman said that the year-old “backdoor” government formed by Umno, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and PAS has no agenda or achievements to be proud of that has benefited the people.
“These three parties told the people that a Malay-Muslim dominated government was needed to look after them, but unfortunately, it is a whole year later and the people are still not better off,” they said in a statement here.
Under PN’s watch, the unemployment rate has increased to 4.8 per cent or 772,900 people, as of December last year, and more than 30,000 businesses have shuttered since the movement control order (MCO) was implemented a year ago, the duo added.
“Of that, 9,000 were small to medium enterprises. Some manufacturers have even moved to neighbouring countries, a testament to the fact that the Perikatan Nasional government is only a cosmetic brand,” they said.
“The government has also failed to keep its promise to give laptops to some 150,000 students as declared in the Budget, resulting in the B40 group reaching out to the Opposition for help to get gadgets for their kids.
Shafie and Syed Saddiq said that the PN’s self-declaration that it could bring economic stability was far from the truth.
“They have been plagued by loyalty issues, and mutual suspicion and mistrust, proven from a series of changes in state leadership, party hopping and during the Sabah state election. In the end, their alliance just disintegrated over time.
“As a result of this Malay-Muslim government’s politicking and backstabbing, the people are suffering. A government that was built on betrayals also collapsed because of betrayals,” they said.
Shafie, who is Parti Warisan Sabah president and Syed Saddiq, who is president of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda), said that they hoped the politicians realise in hindsight that power and position will not lead to success in government.
Now that they are part of the Opposition, the two leaders said that their focus was to continue being a voice for the people.
“Even though power has shifted, it is not an excuse for us to sit back and point fingers and blame everything on the government of the day. The ‘Sheraton Move’ did not and will not erase our resolve and effort towards building the nation,” they said.
