Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin of PKR said Hishammuddin was partly to blame for any weaknesses in handling the health crisis as he was part of the Cabinet and should take collective responsibility.

“To speak out 450 days after the pandemic engulfed the nation demonstrates phoney concern and could also be part of a hidden agenda following rumours that he is a prime ministerial candidate,” the PKR information chief said in a statement.

Shamsul was responding to Hishammuddin, who earlier today stated that calls for reconvening Parliament should not be used as a tool to gain political power.

A portal recently speculated that Hishammuddin was being touted as the next prime minister with senior minister Azmin Ali as his deputy.

He has however brushed off the report as rumours over Twitter, saying: “I don’t entertain rumours.”

Shamsul also criticised Hishammuddin’s call for MPs who were pushing for Parliament to be reconvened, to agree that the next session would be used entirely in the interest of Malaysians.

Shamsul pointed out that most of those lobbying for Parliament to open its doors were MPs from dominant parties, including Umno.

“Certainly, this isn’t a matter of a power grab, but Parliament being the platform for the people’s voices to be heard through their elected representatives,” he said, adding that MPs wanted to focus on matters such as the vaccination programme and rising unemployment, among others.

Shamsul also took issue with Hishammuddin calling for all parties to be supportive of the government’s national recovery plan.

The plan, which was announced by the prime minister yesterday, must be questioned as it did not reflect Putrajaya’s seriousness in managing the pandemic, he said.

“Hishammuddin should review his capacity in the current government. Writing lengthy statements only proves he is trying to take advantage of the situation.”