Changing a Menteri Besar by statutory declaration
Since he wants Mukhriz to step down, only his view — and that of his warlords — matter.
Zaid Ibrahim
General elections are expensive affairs that take place every five years. Millions in taxpayers’ money are used to organise the elections in which wakil rakyat are chosen to represent the people until the next election. Why do we do this? Because we want to tell the world that the country is governed with a mandate given by the people.
Malaysia wants to be known as a democracy, so it holds elections. But its Prime Minister does not understand the value of a mandate. When they asked him to step down, he replied, “O, I have a mandate … and I must rule till the next election.” But he had no qualms removing Mukhriz, before Mukhriz’s term ends, for no reason other than to make a point that he is the Emperor.
Kedahans were told, three days before polling day in 2013, that Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir would be Menteri Besar if the party won, which it did — but Mukhriz must have annoyed the Emperor so much that he was asked to vacate the post of Menteri Besar before his term ended.
Mukhriz had to go. “Mandate” applies to Najib and no one else.
All Dato’ Sri Najib Razak needed to do was to get some of his people to gather in a press conference and demand that Mukhriz resign, and as “proof” that Mukhriz no longer had the support of the legislative assembly, some statutory declarations were produced.
Najib no longer considers it important that the people voted BN into the state government with Mukhriz as the Menteri Besar. The idea that Mukhriz were given a mandate from the people was of no concern to Najib. Najib doesn’t think that the views of the rakyat about Mukhriz matters. Since he wants Mukhriz to step down, only his view — and that of his warlords — matter.
