Muhyiddin’s appointment as NRC chairman contradicts Reset Malaysia’s previous proposal, which requested for the council to be led by experts without any remuneration

by SHAFIQQUL ALIFF / pic by BERNAMA

RESET Malaysia, a coalition of 116 NGOs, submitted a memorandum requesting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Conference of Rulers to restructure the National Recovery Council (NRC) immediately.

Its director Dr Abu Hafiz Salleh Hudin said the appointment of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (picture) as the chairman of the NRC by the government led by Prime Minister (PM) Ismail Sabri Yaakob contradicts their previous proposal, which requested for the council to be led by experts without any remuneration.

He said this is a follow-up to what they presented to His Majesty at Istana Negara a few weeks ago regarding the restructuring of the NRC.

“We see that the appointment contradicts what we have proposed. It is disappointing with the re-formation of the NRC, which is made up of old faces from the Perikatan Nasional (PN) which had previously failed to address the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Having the same character and being given the status of minister is quite disappointing, given that the NRC proposed by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is made up of a majority of experts in their respective fields who are not paid,” he said.

On 4 Sept, the government announced Muhyiddin’s appointment as the NRC chairman, which it deemed equivalent to ministerial status, according to the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Zuki Ali.

Muhyiddin’s appointment came under scrutiny, especially from the Opposition who questioned the rationale of having him at the helm.

On Saturday, the Pagoh MP thanked the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the appointment, saying that he will perform his duties without any remuneration.

“Myself and other members of the NRC are tasked with helping the PM and his government in bringing Malaysia through the recovery phases as planned in the National Recovery Plan,” he said in a Facebook post.

Meanwhile, Secretariat Reset Malaysia head Dr Nurul Ashikin Mabahwi said the current government is only thinking of their positions and also political power, by placing someone who has been proven as failed at governing to lead the NRC.

“As the head of the Reset Malaysia, along with 116 NGOs that support the structuring of the NRC, we feel that Tan Sri Mahiaddin had failed when he was the PM.

“We don’t see any other reason why we should appoint a chairman who had previously failed to govern the country during the pandemic,” she added.

“We hope the government will think of the 18,000 persons who lost their lives due to Covid-19, rather than thinking of their positions and also their political power.”