While admitting that he did not have a free rein on finances, the Pagoh MP said he felt the mandate handed to him was “good enough” as it allows him to make immediate decisions “without wasting any time”.
“I had a discussion with the Prime Minister (Ismail Sabri Yaakob) last week to discuss what authority the National Recovery Council has,” he said in an interview with AstroAwani tonight.
“Is it going to be as before, when I chaired it as the prime minister? Now I’m chairing it as the former prime minister. There’s a difference there from the perspective of power and authority.
“But the good thing is that the prime minister told me to continue as before. This means we can immediately implement any decision made by the council – especially in terms of policies.”
Muhyiddin, who resigned as the country’s eighth prime minister on Aug 16, was named as the head of the council on Sept 4.
Formed in July to replace the special Cabinet committee that was tasked with managing the national recovery plan, the council aims to be at the forefront of the nation’s recovery strategies – which include restoring the economy and guiding the country to pre-pandemic norms.
Muhyiddin also defended his Perikatan Nasional government which came under heavy fire for its perceived inability to manage the dual health and economic crises.
Muhyiddin eventually lost his majority support and was forced to resign after intense pressure by Umno and other opposition parties, especially in the wake of the fiasco over the revocation of the emergency ordinances.
He told the interview that he felt “vindicated” by the way the country is currently handling the pandemic despite the #KerajaanGagal (failed government) hashtag which was a recurring theme during his premiership,
While the number of daily Covid-19 cases are still high, he said that most of the cases are Category 1 and 2 patients, which has helped reduce the burden on the public healthcare system.
He also highlighted the country’s “extraordinary” vaccination roll-out programme, the gradual reopening of the economy and the more than half a trillion ringgit worth of economic stimulus packages and aid for the rakyat as indications of his administration’s success.
“A lot of planning which was done during my time was not completely implemented but they are now being continued by the current government, which is our government too,” he said.
“I say it’s a PN government too, because if you look at the Cabinet, they are mostly the same – except for the prime minister.
“So we have achieved what I believe is great success. I’m not blowing my own trumpet… For me, this is proof that it was not a failed government. We have succeeded.”