Responding to a statement by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that the MPN is irrelevant now that the government has formed a special committee to wage “jihad” on inflation, Muhyiddin said that it was up to the public to judge the council’s effectiveness.
“For me, it’s not important what politicians say,” he said at a Perikatan Nasional (PN) event in Kelantan.
“The public’s evaluation (is more important). If the public says, ‘Muhyiddin, you should stop’, then I will stop.
“Anyway, I am here on a pro bono basis and I have not asked for a single sen. I’m not getting paid anything. I genuinely want to help. That’s my aim.”
On Thursday, Zahid said that the formation of the special committee to fight inflation meant that the MPN was no longer effective, necessary and aligned with Putrajaya’s latest efforts to help the people.
Stating that the council had failed, Zahid also said MPN was just a platform for Muhyiddin to improve his image and that of his party, Bersatu.
Stressing that he was asked by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to chair the council, Muhyiddin said that the MPN plays a key role in advising the government.
The former prime minister explained that the council can only propose policies that it thinks will benefit the government.
He said the council had suggested that the country’s borders reopen in January, three months before the government decided to do so on April 1.
“Why did we ask for it to be opened earlier? Because the longer our borders are shut, the harder it will be for us to improve the economy. We won’t get any tourists and we’ll lose out on a lot of revenue,” he said.
“If you want to ask me if we’re effective or not, the council has no executive power. We’re not a government agency or ministry.
“We’re a body that gives (the government) advice. Whether we’ve failed or not, that’s up to the government to decide.”
Meanwhile, when asked about Zuraida Kamaruddin’s ministerial position, Muhyiddin said he met Ismail a few days ago to discuss the matter and also that of deputy prime minister and other GLC and statutory body appointments, as part of the PN coalition’s agreement with Ismail.
Zuraida was appointed plantation industries and commodities minister on Aug 27 last year when she was with Bersatu. She left the party to join Parti Bangsa Malaysia on May 26.
Bersatu’s leadership previously said Zuraida should be replaced by someone from the party because the ministerial position was under its quota.