Govt won't fast track confidence vote, says no indication PM lost support

 

PARLIAMENT | The government will not fast track 25 no-confidence motions filed against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin or two other motions of support for the Pagoh MP.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Takiyuddin Hassan said this was as there has been no indication that Muhyiddin has lost majority support in the Dewan Rakyat so far.

"The opposition said that if the Supply (Budget) Bill 2021 was not passed, it is a reflection or assumption that the prime minister had lost majority support.

"However, as we are all aware, on Nov 26 the budget was passed (at the policy stage) via voice vote with fewer voices against it. That is the record.

"Therefore the issue of a supposed lack of or loss of majority support for the prime minister does not arise at all," said the minister in charge of Parliament.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who drew flak from Pakatan Harapan MPs after backtracking from a plan to vote down the budget, had recently said a confidence motion was necessary in view of Malaysia's sovereign credit ratings downgrade by Fitch Ratings.

At the same time, Takiyuddin said there is nothing to prevent parties from showing support towards any MPs to be prime minister.

"We in the government are open. If there are any MPs who can present more than 112 statutory declarations to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, we will accept it as part of our country's democratic process," he added during Minister’s Question Time this morning.

The de facto law minister was responding to Hassan Karim (Harapan-Pasir Gudang).

Given that there was no clear indication that Muhyiddin had lost majority support in the Dewan Rakyat, Takiyuddin said the procedure will stand for government affairs to take precedence over private matters.

He said the accepted motions will also remain on the Parliament order paper but there was no urgency for its tabling to be fast-tracked in this session ending Dec 17.

The two motions of confidence supporting Muhyiddin are from Shahidan Kassim (BN-Arau) and Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh (PAS-Pasir Puteh).

The motions of no-confidence were filed by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Independent-Langkawi) and four lawmakers aligned to him, seven MPs from Warisan, Amanah (11), PKR (1), and DAP (1).

Amanah's Khalid Samad (Shah Alam) and Hanipa Maidin (Sepang) each had two motions of no-confidence to their name in the draft. - Mkini