As Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should stop playing “Jekyll and Hyde” on Malaysian nation-building and in particular with Prime Minister’s Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia concept.

Yesterday, Muhyiddin played Dr. Jekyll by talking like a Malaysian statesman, telling the National Level and International Invitation of Student Leaders’ Unity and Integration Gathering at Persada Johore by reminding Malaysians that the country’s biggest challenge would always be in maintaining unity and racial harmony among its people from various ethnic backgrounds.

He added: “It is the same foundation on which the 1Malaysia concept was based on which Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak implemented it to establish Malaysia as a united country, where its people readily accepted and respected one another and shared success and prosperity.”

But the for the past week, Muhyiddin was playing Mr. Hyde, launching a vitriolic attack on Pakatan Rakyat by remorselessly and relentlessly spearheading an Umno campaign to crank up communal sentiments starting with his repeated charge that Parliamentary Opposition Leader and PKR chief, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is “a traitor to the Malay race” (with Umno divisions mobilizing all over the country to support Muhyiddin in calling Anwar a Malay “traitor”), as well as other baseless and mischievous allegations that PAS has betrayed Islam by working with DAP and that DAP had insulted Islam by working with PAS!

In the past, the path traversed by Umno leaders is to be a Mr. Hyde to first become a communal hero of the Malays and when comfortably ensconced at the Olympian heights of Umno leadership, to play the role of Dr. Jekyll to reach out to all Malaysians to become a Malaysian leader and statesman.

Muhyiddin should be well-advised that there is no way he could play Jekyll and Hyde one at the same time, as this is the fastest way to his losing all credibility among Malaysians as well as bringing untold harm to Malaysian national unity and nation-building.

I advise Muhyiddin to abandon such Jekyll-and-Hyde tactics. As Deputy Prime Minister, he should be the very epitome of the 1Malaysia concept proclaimed by Najib on becoming the sixth Malaysian Prime Minister five months ago, and not as its very nemesis.

The timing for Muhyiddin to abandon the Jekyll-and-Hyde role cannot be more critical as Malaysia is celebrating our 52nd National Day in less than a fortnight.

Already, the A (N1H1) flu pandemic is going to be a greater dampener on Najib’s first National Day celebrations. Let our 52nd National Day not be clouded by another greater dampener – Muhyiddin’s Jekyll-and-Hyde role in Malaysian government and politics.

Najib will not be serious about a 1Malaysia concept if it is not the overarching theme of the National Day celebrations on August 31, but there is no way Najib’s signature theme of 1Malaysia can be taken seriously by Malaysians unless Muhyiddin abandons immediately his Jekyll-and-Hyde antics.

At the Cabinet meeting tomorrow, will there be any Minister from Umno, MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP or any other BN component party who would dare to speak up to ask Muhyiddin to end his Jekyll-and-Hyde role and call a halt to the irresponsible exploitation of the race and religious card by Umno leaders and Umno-controlled media which have greatly undermined national and international confidence in the past few weeks?