LETTER | Does Muhyiddin have absolute prerogative to appoint cabinet?

LETTER | In an effort to shield Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin from Umno’s pressure to appoint someone from Umno as deputy prime minister, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had asserted that the appointment of ministers, including deputy prime minister, is the absolute prerogative of the prime minister and as such, no one should exert pressure on Muhyiddin over such appointments.

I disagree with Zahid on such a simplistic view of the prime minister’s power in the context of a democracy, particularly with a multi-party ruling coalition.

Yes, the Federal Constitution may have mandated the prime minister to appoint his cabinet, but he cannot make such decisions in solo with no regard to others’ views. 

In a dictatorship, yes, he can do so. But not in a democracy, which upholds the will of the majority as the supreme arbiter of power.

No such absolute prerogative in a democracy

Muhyiddin would not be able to get away with a cabinet unacceptable to his party Bersatu even if the latter were to govern the country alone, not to mention he is now heading a coalition government consisting of many political parties of diverse political ideologies and conflicting self-interests.

Even in a mono-party government, the prime minister can still be easily unseated, if his party decides to remove him as the party’s choice of premier through a party resolution.

Whereas in a multi-party government, the prime minister is even more prone to be toppled, if only one or more of the component parties decide to leave the coalition.

And Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional government of razor-thin majority is most unstable from this point of view. 

The slightest defection or switch of sides by individual members of Parliament from any component party, not to mention departure of an entire party, would cause the collapse of the government.

Hence, in recognition of such political realities, a wise politician in Muhyiddin’s position would have accorded equitable weight in line with the relative strengths of the various component parties when he structured his cabinet. 

That is, if he cherishes fair play and democratic values and wishes to have a stable and enduring partnership within his coalition.

Inequitable cabinet begets instability

Muhyiddin has obviously not done that, hence, the incessant murmur of discontent from Umno, which is many times more powerful than Bersatu in terms of grassroots organisation and electoral support. 

But despite such superiority, Umno has to suffer the humiliation of being led by Bersatu which now dominates executive power and dictates major policies. 

It doesn’t help their peaceful co-existence, from Umno’s point of view, that these two parties share the same electoral support base.

Such inherent structural weakness of the PN coalition, compounded by its wafer-thin majority, makes this backdoor government the most vulnerable to failure in the country’s history. 

Such instability augers badly for the coalition’s future which is already starved of good political leaders.

I don’t see any future for the country under such a shoddy government at this time of unprecedented double-hitting pandemic and economic crisis, unless a capable and vibrant political leadership takes over the helm of the country now to lead the country out of the woods and embark on a robust recovery.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.