By Ling Hui
KUCHING, June 28: Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) is perplexed as to why former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has nominated Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal to become the candidate for the prime minister post.
Its president Lina Soo believed that the proposal was weird as Dr Mahathir himself does not have the power to appoint any prime minister in which the post is appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“Dr Mahathir has forgotten that he has no power to decide who can be the Prime Minister of Malaysia. The rakyat and voters also do not have the indulgence to vote for who they want to be (the) prime minister.
“The power to appoint our Prime Minister lies absolutely with our King.
“According to Article 43(2)(a) of our Federal Constitution, the Agong shall appoint a Member of Parliament whom His Majesty believes he commands the majority support of his peers as Prime Minister.
“There is no specific rule on how our Agong makes his decision, and it is his prerogative and wisdom to appoint the PM.
“Dr Mahathir has also forgotten it is not up to him to decide the cabinet and who can be the deputy prime minister (DPM).
“He has no power to decide who our deputy prime minister can be, when there is no provision even in our (Federal) Constitution for the position of DPM, let alone two, of which one is to include his son,” she said in a statement today.
Soo believed the public will not easily trust Dr Mahathir again as they are accustomed to his eccentricities in his bid to hold the seat of power as the prime minister.
She noted it was Dr Mahathir who betrayed the people by resigning as the prime minister last February which paved the way for the new Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal government to take power.
Thus, Soo believed Dr Mahathir’s desperation to regain power was putting his self interest ahead of the nation during the current period of fighting Covid-19 and economic slowdown.
“The rakyat is suffering, yet Dr Mahathir is ‘playing the fiddle while Rome burns’.
“After all, Dr Mahathir will still have his chance to be the prime minister again at the next PRU (general election) in two years’ time, or if sooner in a snap election,” she added.
Having said that, Soo said she would support Dr Mahathir’s proposal of nominating Shafie to become the prime minister if certain conditions were attached.
Among others are the restoration of Sarawak’s rights on oil and gas resources.—DayakDaily
