The Malaysian Insight

PEJUANG’S registration as a political party was not part of Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) “scheme of things” for them to work together, Marzuki Yahya said.

“Pejuang was registered in accordance with the laws in the country,” the party’s deputy president told The Malaysian Insight.

“The government would have broken the law if Pejuang was not allowed to register,” he added.

The “scheme of things” reference is made in regards to a leaked audio during a Bersatu supreme council meeting on February 23 last year.

In the unverified recording, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was alleged to have proposed offering government positions to Umno MPs to help Bersatu topple the Pakatan Harapan government.

To date, Muhyiddin has not yet denied the audio clip.

Pejuang, which was set up by former Bersatu chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad, was registered last week on the final day of a 14-day deadline given by the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

On June 24, the court had ordered the Home Ministry to make its final decision on Pejuang’s application.

Justice Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid said it was more than five months since Pejuang’s appeal to the ministry and the timeframe for the latter to respond had already lapsed and it needed to decide within the 14-day deadline.

But speculation had arisen that Pejuang had made a deal with Bersatu after the former’s application was approved.

Marzuki said this made no sense as PN was a “failed” government that was beyond repair.

“We will never support PN and rather find our own way out.

“Pejuang has suggested a special committee such as the 1969’s National Operations Council as the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be resolved within a couple of months.

“Malaysia needs a new approach to rehabilitate the country while PN is at its wit’s end and is just waiting to fall apart,” said Marzuki.

The senator, however, did not want to speculate on the party’s position when Parliament convenes on July 26.

“We haven’t decided to reject. We want to see how it goes. The emergency ordinance should have been tabled but was not and by the time Parliament is done, it would have already expired.

“It’s an academic issue,” said the former deputy foreign minister.

After months of pressure, the PN government has decided to let Parliament meet for five days, starting July 26.

While Parliament agenda has not yet been released, the government is expected to table the emergency ordinance.

After announcing a second movement-control order a day earlier, Muhyiddin told the nation that the government has placed the country under a state of emergency on January 11, to allow the government to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

But despite more than half a year of lockdowns and emergency, Covid-19 infections have quadrupled while the death toll has breached 6,000.

And while the ordinance’s tabling may be academic, Muhyiddin will suffer a huge political setback if the bill is defeated in Parliament after the Umno Supreme Council decided to withdraw their support for the Bersatu president on July 8. – July 16, 2021.