May 18 showdown - speaker accepts Dr M's no-confidence motion against PM

The Dewan Rakyat sitting on May 18 is set to be a heated affair as speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof has accepted a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

In a statement, Ariff said the motion was filed by Langkawi MP Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The motion, filed under Standing Order 27(3), is as follows:

"(The House will) table a resolution to decide that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the Pagoh MP, does not command the support of the majority members of Parliament."

This is likely to be the first time that a motion of no-confidence against a sitting prime minister will appear on the Order Paper.

Whether the motion will eventually be debated, let alone voted on, remains to be seen.

Muhyiddin was appointed prime minister on March 1 by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the belief that the Pagoh MP commanded a majority of support from the MPs.

However, Muhyiddin has kept the actual number of parliamentarians who support him close to his chest.

Most analysts believe that Muhyiddin commands a wafer-thin majority at most.

The main agenda for the May 18 sitting, which will last only one day, is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's address followed by the tabling of supplementary supply bills.

VK Liew

Meanwhile, Ariff also announced that he has accepted "some" of Batu Sapi MP Liew Vui Keong's proposed motions without specifying which.

However, according to a statement by Liew prior to Ariff's statement, the accepted motions are as follows:

• A motion to state that Parliament was not bound by the movement control order (MCO).
  
• A motion that the May 18 sitting should have eight sitting days instead of one.

Liew had argued that Parliament should regulate its own affairs under Article 62(1) and (4) of the Federal Constitution.

Ariff also said that he had rejected a motion by Mahathir who sought a resolution that the Dewan Rakyat speaker should not be changed until the House is dissolved.

Ariff also rejected a motion by Semporna MP Mohd Shafee Abdullah which sought a resolution that Mahathir commanded the support of the majority of MPs.

The former Court of Appeal judge ruled that Shafee's motion was unconstitutional. 

[More to follow] - Mkini