There’s a very simple way to resolve the current political mess: Do the right thing! It begins with the prime minister doing the right thing, which is to call for the sitting of the Dewan Rakyat immediately.

Instead, it has been postponed to May 18 “to allow a proper time frame for the new cabinet line-up to understand their duties in the ministries and their departments respectively”, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Department as reported in the media.

Why the delay when it is in the hands of the prime minister to convene the Dewan Rakyat immediately and make his appointment legitimate? If he does and wins the confidence of the majority of the MPs in the Dewan Rakyat, he can carry on with running the government legitimately. If he doesn’t he should have enough integrity to face consequences. Either way, he would restore stability and win the respect of the people.

Any credible prime minister will want to validate his or her appointment by immediately seeking a confidence vote from Parliament. That is the first order of business of an appointed prime minister. Until he does this, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will be seen as stalling and leading an illegitimate government. He will have no standing internationally or even at home.

I’m doubtful if this Umno-PAS-led coalition has the support of the Malay voters it claims to represent. Do Malay voters really want a government they didn’t choose by vote? Again, we will only know if a vote of confidence for the prime minister is called in the Dewan Rakyat.

The current continuing political imbroglio will be recorded for all to see in Malaysian history. The protagonists will be named and the MPs who supported or opposed the current leadership will also be made known. The decisions the MPs make now will be the legacy they leave behind for posterity. History will judge. MPs need to be very careful in making the right decisions now. Posterity will view them with pride or shame by the decisions they make now.

This Umno-PAS alliance, made for whatever reasons, carries the potential to destroy the fabric of ethnic harmony we have striven for since our independence. PAS is public about its desire to establish an Islamic state. It wants a foot in the federal government to influence it and to move in and take over in the event of a power vacuum, which will be followed by an Islamic government. Non-Malay and East Malaysian MPs, if they don’t already know this, please wise up to it!

For this reason alone, all MPs — whether Malay or non-Malay but truly Malaysian — must be seen not supporting the Umno-PAS pact.

The issue right now is whether our elected officials are prepared to do the right thing, which with regard to the current political scenario is to respect, protect, uphold and restore the mandate of the people given to the Pakatan Harapan in the 14th General Elections.

We the people are waiting to see if our elected officials will stand by us. My feeling is that if they do the right thing, resolution will follow. Now is not the time to fight for posts, wheel and deal and switch sides — unless you are switching to the party on the side of the people. Now is the time to know what you stand for — to uphold the constitution as the supreme law of the land or sell the votes of the people for personal gain. We are watching.

I also believe — a strong gut feeling — that when our MPs do the right thing and stand by the people, help will come from an unexpected source or sources. That will result in a speedy resolution of the current political imbroglio and ensure that the rights of the people are left intact.

The best course of action now is to do the right thing.