LETTERS: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who was himself labelled a dictator during his tenure as prime minister has accused Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin of being a dictator.
The chairman of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) said the emergency proclamation by the government recently was to enable the prime minister to remain in power. Despite having implemented the Movement Control Order, Muhyiddin still proposed a state of emergency because he was desperate to maintain power, Dr Mahathir said.
Dr Mahathir should give constructive ideas to the government instead of only finding fault with it.
If he was still the prime minister, he would likely have done the same to protect the people and the country.
But Dr Mahathir seems only to be interested in running the country again as prime minister.
The Langkawi Member of Parliament has joined other MPs who want the 15th general election to be called as soon as possible despite the pandemic and floods.
An election or a by-election at this point in time will surely cause a further spike in cases and fatalities.
To be a complete dictatorship, the sitting prime minister has to take full control of everything but in a televised address, the prime minister said the judiciary would continue to uphold law and justice throughout the course of the emergency.
He also said the PN government would continue to defend the independence of the judiciary and would never interfere in matters of the courts.
Some of the MPs who demanded for the general election still have their cases pending in court, including Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
When he himself was accused being a dictator, Dr Mahathir was fast to say that it was for the common good. He denied he was a dictator during his previous 22-year stint as premier, saying he had tried to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
"I was elected five times by the people and no dictator has ever resigned. I resigned," he said.
If Tan Sri Muhyiddin is a dictator, he would have surely taken action against those irresponsible MPs who have been slandering him and the government.
The MCO and the Emergency proclamation mean a lot to the people who look upon the government for help to go through these difficult times. The two measures actually serve like a shield to protect more people from falling victim to the pandemic.
People are suffering due to power-crazy politicians and their non-stop politicking. They are fed-up and angry with politicians who are taking advantage of the present situation to achieve their political agenda.
M. MURUGIAH
Batu Caves, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times