SEPTEMBER 12 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday took a swipe at the PH-led unity government’s flip-flopping approach in withdrawing and later reinstating the subsidised fuel quota to 300 litres under the Budi95 programme.

“First, they reduce the quota, then they reinstate it. Next, I think they will pull it back and restore it nearer to the next general election,” he said at the 2026 Umno General Assembly.

Lest we forget, Ahmad Zahid’s deputy Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan too had criticised the decision by Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin to allow Malaysian pupils and students to return to schools in phases, beginning on March 1, 2021.

Tok Mat, as Mohamad Hassan is affectionately known, called the decision a flip-flop.

The former Negri Sembilan mentri besar said the Education Ministry needed to stop indulging in such behaviour, as it was burdensome on students and their parents.

At that time, Tok Mat was not a Cabinet Minister in Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s Cabinet (March 10, 2020 till August 16, 2021), but his colleagues in Umno were, led by vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who was Senior Minister (Security Cluster).

Three days after Tok Mat’s criticism, Ismail Sabri came to the government’s defence.

“A lot of people tell us we make flip-flop decisions. But we make changes based on needs and necessity from time to time,” he said in his daily Covid-19 press briefing.

And lest we forget again, it was Ismail Sabri the caretaker prime minister who, in a response to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s expressed disappointment with political developments in the country then, pointed out that 12 of his ministers had written to Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, undermining the government.

“The actions of these ministers clearly undermine the office of the prime minister appointed by the Agong, and erodes the spirit of solidarity in the administration,” he said.

The Umno vice-president added that ministers from Perikatan Nasional (PN) were becoming increasingly hostile towards his Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, even openly criticising the decisions and policies of the government of which they were a part.

Ismail Sabri referred to “solidarity in administration.”

The term “collective responsibility” could have escaped his mind, and Ahmad Zahid’s.

Lest we forget — for the last time — it was Ahmad Zahid the deputy prime minister and home minister in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Cabinet who chided former government leaders who accused the government of ‘policy flip-flop’.

He said the government reversed certain policies in response and because it was sensitive to the people’s calls.

“The same former leaders had acted similarly for the people when they were in the government.

“Now that they are no longer in power or holding any position, they are accusing the government of ‘flip-flop’. Some of the leaders did not even make any changes for the people while they were in a position to do so,” Ahmad Zahid said.

Then too, as he did on Friday, Zahid did not specifically refer to any individual but whom he said “thinks he is the cleverest, the best, the most excellent”.

“His time is over, please respect the ruling government,” Ahmad Zahid said.

Quo vadis?

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.