PETALING JAYA: Shahrir Abdul Samad stated that Perikatan Nasional (Perikatan) would have kept the support from its four MPs if Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin led the Opposition in Parliament. On Saturday (Nov 11), the former Johor Baru MP wrote on Facebook that Muhyiddin should fill the position of Opposition Leader himself, suggesting that the presence of party leaders at the head of the “political war” would invigorate it.
Shahrir added, “This is one of the reasons why MPs are not hesitant to switch their support to the ruling government. I’m sure they are not very close or familiar with Muhyiddin, who is the top leader of their party.”
“He should have been the Opposition Leader instead of handing it to Perikatan secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin,” he stated.
Shahrir also noted that a similar mistake was made when Umno and Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi transferred the Opposition Leader’s position to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. This resulted in internal confusion among Umno and Barisan, which ultimately led to Ismail Sabri becoming the 9th Prime Minister.
According to Shahrir, Muhyiddin now has “fewer buttons to press” as answers lie with “the leadership of the party, leadership in the House”. He emphasized that the four Perikatan MPs switching to support the unity government demonstrates the crucial role they play in Parliamentary democracy.
“They have not only expressed support for the government but have switched seats out of the opposition bloc. They are no longer in the opposition bloc and even if they are not in the government bloc, their status now is that they have become independent MPs,” Shahrir explained.
Shahrir also pointed out that top leaders from the Opposition parties, especially PAS and Bersatu, do not view Parliament as the most important institution in the country’s political system. He highlighted this as a weakness for Perikatan, as it creates space for their MPs to shift their support.
“Political leadership is not only at the party level. That leadership also needs to be seen and felt in Parliament,” he stressed. “Our country’s Parliamentary system recognizes the presence of the Opposition by appointing an Opposition Leader. This position not only comes complete with allowance, office, and staff, it even has a higher position in terms of national protocol.”
