Reset Malaysia secretariat head Nurul Ashikin Mabahwi said appointing an individual who had failed as the previous chairman was disappointing to all parties, especially those who demanded a change in administrative policy in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said the reappointment of the former prime minister contradicted their demands made earlier to appoint Dr Mahathir Mohamad to lead the council.
“Muhyiddin has already failed when he was the National Recovery Council chairman before, so we don’t see a reason why we should again have a chairman who has already failed to govern the country during the pandemic.
“This is why we in Reset Malaysia along with 116 other NGOs demand a chairman who can lead the National Recovery Council, and we recommend Mahathir as the chairman,” she told the media after handing over a memorandum at the office of the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal.
Nurul said the memorandum on the restructuring of the council was also sent to the Malay rulers.
“We are disappointed that the government only thinks about positions and political power when they should think more about the fate of the families of 18,000 who lost their lives due to Covid-19,” she said.
Reset Malaysia director Abu Hafiz Salleh Huddin said the handing over of the memorandum was a follow-up to the memorandum to the Palace a few weeks ago which also recommended that Mahathir lead the council.
“The council proposed by Tun (Mahathir) will be composed of experts in their respective fields who will serve for free.
“We see the need for restructuring and hope the Malay rulers will take action and intervene,” he said.
Chief secretary to the government Mohd Zuki Ali announced on Saturday that Muhyiddin had been appointed chairman of the council with ministerial rank.
He said the appointment, decided at the Cabinet meeting last Wednesday, was made based on the government’s confidence in Muhyiddin’s ability to spearhead the nation’s recovery strategies, restore the economy and improve people’s lives which had been badly affected by the pandemic.
The council was formed in July to replace the special Cabinet committee tasked with managing the national recovery plan.