KUCHING, Jan 28: The prime minister does not have the capacity to hand over his duty to the next prime minister as the holder of the position is decided by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Santubong MP Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar asserted that the power to appoint the Malaysian prime minister lies with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and is not up to the prime minister to hand over his duty to his successor when he wants, as the power to appoint the prime minister is with the King under Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution
The former Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker argued that the prime minister could recommend a candidate to succeed him but the final decision to appoint the prime minister lies with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
“It’s not up to the standing Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir (Mohamad), to name his successor.
“He could not do that.
“The agreement about the succession does not override the Constitutional provision.
“The spirit and letters of the Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution gives the authority to appoint the succeeding prime minister to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“Of course, Tun Dr Mahathir may recommend to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who he nominates to become his successor, but the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is not bound by that agreement between parties, as it does not override Article 43(2)(a) of the Constitution,” he asserted.
As to who is going to succeed Dr Mahathir as the next prime minister, he opined that there is none as there is a lack of leaders of calibre from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government.
He noted that there is still uncertainty over the ability and timing of Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to become the next prime minister, adding that the party is still embroiled in internal conflicts.
Wan Junaidi opined that potential candidates to become the next prime minister outside PH component parties are plenty but none seem to have the clout to command the support of the majority of the Members of Dewan Rakyat.
Therefore, he believed there could be a serious stalemate in the succession plan for the prime minister post.
“From within the PH component parties, I don’t see any candidate for the top post.
“The little experience we saw in Selangor was the previous Menteri Besar’s (Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim) efforts (and) not Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.
“In Penang, the story of the Chief Minister in Penang was about selling assets as the practice now continues in the Ministry of Finance.
“What will happen, if all the assets are sold, the incompetent minister will not know what next to do?
“Can we (have) a leader like that to assume the top post?,” he quipped.
Wan Junaidi argued that the overall performance of the PH government was a total letdown and that there is nothing positive from the current administration as Malaysia is experiencing an economic slowdown due to lower foreign direct investment while some foreign investors have also pulled out of the country.
On another note, Wan Junaidi opined that the departure of Dr Mahathir does not promise a better administration, unless the whole cabinet steps down and is replaced with more capable ministers. — DayakDaily
