Readers would have surely noticed that in my articles thus far, I’ve always referred the prime minister as Tan Sri “Muhyiddin Yassin” and not “Mahiaddin”, his actual name. Original if you like.

Why? Let’s just say I abide by what an aide to the PM who said that “to the media and public, it is still Muhyiddin”, this despite a government circular issued by the chief secretary to the government Mohd Zuki Ali ordering all civil servants to use Muhyiddin’s official name – Mahiaddin Md Yassin in formal documents with effect from June 3, 2021.

“The memo does not change anything,” the PM’s aide was quoted saying by FMT, as far as the media and public are concerned.

Although the aide did not elaborate further, I am of the opinion that the directive or instruction to civil servants is to avoid “confusion”, “complications” and “dispute”. In other words, prevent questions being raised and bring the whole thing into disrepute should official government documents issued and what more signed in the name of “Muhyiddin Yassin” and not “Mahiaddin Md Yassin”, the name spelled in the PM’s birth certificate and in the government gazetted MyKad.

Rewind to February. The Shah Alam High Court quashed a preventive order signed last year by prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin who was also acting home minister at that time.

As the result, a man alleged to have been involved in drug trafficking was set free because Muhyiddin did not use his real name when signing the two-year preventive detention order.

Based on that, I can understand why all official government documents from now on must be issued and signed in the name Mahiaddin and not Muhyiddin.

However, the prime minister continues to be mocked over this Muhyiddin–Mahiaddin issue. But on a more serious note, some people are questioning or disputing the validly of previous documents signed and authorized by “Muhyiddin”.

And even his “position”, or should it be “status” being prime minister is being pondered, to put it lightly.

The question asked is whether he had taken the oath of office and signed the related documents as PM using the name Muhyiddin or Mahiaddin?

Naturally in this age of social media, video clips of him taking the oath before the Yang di-Pertuan Agong using the name Muhyiddin has gone viral.

Even the government circular to civil servants mentioned earlier was viralled, what more the “angkat sumpah” clips. It’s only to be expected, right?

I’m not about to comment on the legality and what not. I am not in the position to do that anyway. But what I am trying to say is that the video clips are still out there and questions are raising many an eyebrow.

Another quick look back. A report by The Star on April 29, 2018. Muhyiddin was reported calling on the Election Commission to “make sure it gets his name correct”.

According to the report, Muhyiddin made the request after it was discovered that the spelling of his name in the EC website was that of his MyKad – “Mahiaddin Md Yassin” and not “Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin” which he had chosen to use on the ballot paper. That was for GE14.

“The name I had chosen to use is that which I have been using in all previous elections,” The Star quoted him saying.

A day later, i.e. April 30, 2018, the NST reported the EC denying “allegations made by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that the commission would print his real name Mahiaddin on the ballot paper for the Pagoh parliamentary and Gambir state seats”.

Then EC chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah was quoted saying the name to be printed would be based on what was written in the relevant forms as submitted by Muhyiddin which stated his name as “Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin”.

“The name listed in the EC website and the MySPR application is Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, save for what is listed on the electoral roll which is based on the original name as stated in his identification card,” Hashim was reported to have said.

The NST went on to quote the EC chairman saying, “Relating to his name (Mahiaddin) being used in the 13the general election results, the commission wants to make it clear that the name of the winning candidate when it is gazetted in Form 16 will show the full name or the original name and not the name used in the ballot paper.”

Still, the Muhyiddin–Mahiaddin issue continues to get all sorts of attention which according to veteran journalist Datuk A Kadir Jasin can be avoided rather easily.

Mahiaddin Md Yassin, says Kadir, can take a few easy steps if “he feels the name given by his parents does not sound nice or he wants a more glamorous name like Muhyiddin Yassin.”

According to Kadir, there is no problem to change one’s name to a more nice and glamorous sounding name.

Mahiaddin can just go to the registration office with a statutory declaration certified by a Commissioner for Oaths to officially change or correct his name.

Simple as that. Sadly that, simple as it is, the PM did not do so, hence the mess he is in just because Muhyiddin is preferred over Mahiaddin.

(Mohsin Abdullah is a veteran journalist and now a freelancer who writes about this, that and everything else.)