MP: Azalina wrong, no confidence motion takes precedence

A DAP parliamentarian has blasted Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman for saying it is normal for the motion of no confidence against the prime minister to be listed at the bottom of the order paper.

Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim said on the contrary, parliamentary conventions dictate that such a motion, which strikes at the fundamental legitimacy of a government to function, should be given utmost priority.

“This is because the legitimacy of the government rests upon it receiving the confidence of the House,” said Sim (right) in a statement today.

He said the motion needs to take precedence in the matters to be heard in Parliament, which begins its sitting today, because several fundamental issues are reliant on it.

Firstly, said Sim, the legitimacy of the PM’s budget in question

“How can the prime minister’s Supply Bill be legitimate if his administration is hanging on the thin thread of being ousted in the House?” he asked.

Secondly, said Sim, a government that lost the confidence of the House cannot make important decisions.

Sim said should the motion be carried, a caretaker government would have to be appointed which is not allowed to make new policies or new appointments.

The latter, he said, are precisely the matters on the agenda including the prime minister’s motions on the new cabinet as well as the new public accounts committee and new laws.

'House's confidence comes first'

The motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Najib Razak submitted by PKR's Petaling Jaya Selatan MP Hee Loy Sian has been listed as the 25th item out of 28 on the order paper for this session, and may not make it to the House by the end of the sitting.

Meanwhile in the face of growing calls for his resignation from both sides of the political divide, Najib’s budget presentation will be heard this Friday.

Yesterday, Azalina in a statement cited standing order 15 (1), which states that “on every day’s sitting, the government shall take precedence over other matters” and urged for the matter not to be “politicised by those who only want to confuse the public”.

Sim argued by the historical convention of the UK parliamentary system that Malaysia follows, “the government will always accede to the demand from the opposition to allot a day for the discussion of such a motion”.

“According to a UK Parliament report on Fixed-term Parliaments Bill, ‘a motion of confidence should take precedence over other motions’ (Source: p 38, Fixed-term Parliaments Bill, Second Report of Session 2010-11, 10 September 2010),” noted the MP.

“In other words, the normal operation of a Westminster government depends on whether it retains the confidence of the House […] it cannot continue its normal operation.

“And the only way to test whether such confidence exists, and therefore whether the government has legitimacy, is to allow for the motion of no confidence to be tabled as early as possible,” said Sim.

He called on all “conscientious MPs from both sides of the aisle” to show their displeasure if the motion is not given priority in this present session.

“Vote down every single government’s motion to demonstrate our no confidence in Najib Razak’s administration,” urged Sim. -Mkini