Muhyiddin was referring to the appointment of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as deputy prime minister despite the Umno president facing 47 counts of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering charges. Zahid also holds the rural and regional development portfolio.

Fahmi said the Bersatu president had forgotten that this was not a Pakatan Harapan government, which would allow the prime minister to appoint whoever he pleased.

“This is a unity government, where policies and important decisions are made together, including the appointment of Cabinet members,” he said in a Facebook post.

Fahmi, who is also PKR information chief, added that this was important to prevent mistakes made in previous administrations since 2018 which saw ministers often not being appointed according to the positions they held in their parties.

“We witnessed cartel groups within a party being weaponised, consequently forming a party within a party. In the end, it affected the party’s political stability.”

Therefore, he said Anwar and party leaders in the unity government agreed that the candidates for the Cabinet would come from the party hierarchy.

“If you (Muhyiddin) are dissatisfied, don’t make outrageous accusations against the prime minister because he didn’t nominate the candidates from the respective parties.”

He said Muhyiddin should stop his polemic attacks which were intended to mislead the public.

Fahmi also reaffirmed Anwar’s commitment that the unity government would not influence any judicial affairs or court cases.

Earlier, Muhyiddin had described Anwar’s Cabinet line-up as the “most disappointing in the nation’s history”.

The Perikatan Nasional chairman said Anwar’s reform agenda rang hollow when he could not even stand up in defence of his own party’s struggle to fight against corruption and promote good governance.