KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin criticised Pakatan Harapan coalition and its component party DAP for not prioritising the bumiputera agenda and for being cruel during its brief 22-month spell in power from 2018 to 2020.
"There were problems when PH were governing the country. But I have already asked the people of Shah Alam and they said they will reject PH.
"I want to show then when the country was under PH rule, they pushed us, they oppressed us, they did not bother about the rights of bumiputeras because bumiputeras are at the core of the country's development.
"Last time we had the National Economic Policy, now replaced by the National Development Policy, but it is important for me to state that PN is committed to ensure for bumiputeras to control at least 30 per cent of the economy in the country," Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman and Bersatu (PPBM) president declared to the crowd during a ceramah recently.
He shared that during PH rule he was the Home Minister and he was in charge of managing a few important acts, one of which being the Sedition Act.
He revealed that at the time, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng, who was then the finance minister, along with a few other PH leaders were pushing him to abolish the Sedition Act.
Muhyiddin stressed that such an important act could not be abolished because it provides protection for important subject matters contained in the constitution, such as the position of the Malay Rulers, the special rights and privileges of bumiputeras, on Islam being the official religion while respecting other religions and Bahasa Malaysia being the official language of the country.
He warned that when such sensitive matters were touched upon, it could lead to discontent and anger which could jeopardise the entire country.
"The assurance, the guarantee from the Sedition Act is that the government can take action if there is any side or quarters that do not respect such matter. It was DAP specifically that asked me to abolish the Sedition Act and I disagreed.
"I could not agree to such a move. Another move or action by PH was to push, to put pressure on the allocation set aside for a few of institutions that were developed by the previous government such as Ekuinas (Ekuiti Nasional Berhad - a private equity company formed in 2009 to promote bumiputera economic participation).
"For Ekuinas, which was formed by the previous government, there was an allocation of about RM2 Billion with the sole aim and purpose of increasing bumiputera participation in the economic development of the country.
"Guan Eng was pushing then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to take back the allocation, and that was cruel," charged Muhyiddin.
He reiterated to the crowd in attendance that this is why he is adamant that the people should not allow PH to make a comeback.