KUCHING: Baru Bian is the too familiar voice of the many disgruntled fallen leaders of Pakatan Harapan, said Tupong assemblyman Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman.
The PBB Youth deputy chief said Baru sounds very much like any one of those PH top guns who until now still struggle to accept the fact that they have lost Putrajaya to politicians with vision and more acceptable to the rakyat.
“Like the rest of those disgruntled fallen PH leaders, Baru also could not resist calling the PN (Perikatan Nasional) government a ‘backdoor government’.
“Their cry baby complaint is ‘backdoor government, and Baru is saying it out of spite for having been left to fend for himself by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when the seventh prime minister all of a sudden left the PH sinking ship,” Fazzrudin said in a press release here yesterday in response to a recent statement by Baru.
Fazzrudin said the issue of a ‘backdoor government’ should no longer arise after the one-day Parliament sitting on May 18.
He said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah’s Royal Address succinctly states that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s government is a legal and constitutional government.
Making reference to reports of the Royal Address he said: “The Yang di-Pertuan Agong took pains in detailing what had transpired that led to the formation of the current government.
“The King said on Feb 24, Dr Mahathir had come to meet him, and he asked the then premier to reconsider his decision to resign, but Dr Mahathir was adamant about his decision.
“The King said it was his responsibility to appoint a new prime minister as enshrined in the Federal Constitution and that he discharged his responsibility in a transparent and just manner in accordance with the concept of Constitutional Monarchy and Parliamentary Democracy that is the backbone of our country’s practice.
“The King also refers to Article 43 of the Federal Constitution, which empowers him to appoint a Member of Parliament who in his judgement is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Dewan Rakyat.
“Thus, on Feb 25 and 26, he held one-on-one meetings with the MPs to evaluate their stand. On Feb 29, he ordered all political parties with representatives in the Dewan Rakyat to nominate an MP as their candidate for prime minister.
“Not only that, upon requests from several party leaders, the King also consented to the extension of time for the political parties to nominate their candidate so that they would have ample time to make their decision in a democratic manner.
“Only after all these processes were observed was Muhyiddin appointed as the eighth prime minister.”
Fazzrudin said that was hardly a week ago, it is therefore strange that Baru has such short memory of what was said in Parliament that he attended.
As to GPS’ position in the federal coalition, Fazzrudin said parties outside GPS may find it difficult to understand “especially if they refuse to understand”.
“Read my lips, GPS remains an ally of Muhyiddin, who thinks that GPS deserves to be represented in his government.
“GPS made the decision to prop Muhyiddin’s government because it is in the interest of the nation to do so.
“Besides, Muhyiddin was duly appointed to the premiership by the King who had exercised his rights according to the constitution.
He said Baru seems intent on driving a wedge into the GPS woodwork, with claims of “unequal distribution of power” and “unequal alliance” dominated by PBB.
“My rebuttal to Baru is: Baru, you’re party-less, you’re not in any position to tell political parties what to do.
“And two, in the 22 months of your ministership you did not show you are capable of anything good for Sarawak. On the contrary, you downsized Pan Borneo Highway in the name of transparency and austerity and helped Dr Mahathir’s government to cancel, suspend and cut funds to development projects in Sarawak.
“You did nothing for the dilapidated schools in the state and you played dumbed when the PH government was running down the state government.”
He said the fact that Baru, a founding member of Sarawak PKR, was unceremoniously expelled from PKR, speaks volume of his party spirit.
