Hanipa: How is demanding prompt parliamentary sitting traitorous?

 

Sepang MP Hanipa Maidin said it was utterly disappointing for government leaders to paint those demanding a prompt Parliament sitting as disloyal to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

This is after the opposition and civil society pushed the government to hold a Parliament sitting before September to test Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's majority in the Dewan Rakyat after several Umno MPs withdrew their support.

Muhyiddin claimed the Agong had assented to the September timeline while Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said those who refused to abide by that are committing treason.

However, Hanipa (above) said to the contrary, it was Muhyiddin who made a "bold claim" to the Agong that he still commanded majority support even though his maths did not add up.

"Since the prime minister himself confidently asserted that he has duly garnered the required support, logic would dictate him to prove his allegation at the soonest. Or else his claim may be highly suspected.

"Since he allegedly managed to 'convince' the king to have a vote of confidence in Parliament, it would defy logic for him to decide such a crucial point only in September and not prior to that - meaning now.

"After all, he indicated to the king that he has the solid numbers by way of statutory declarations from MPs," he said in a statement.

Hanipa also noted that after the government claimed several BN lawmakers were still supportive of Muhyiddin's government, several of them came out to deny the claim.

"Simple arithmetic would tell us that his alleged numbers, with due respect, simply do not add up," he added.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin 

Yesterday, Umno's Tanjong Karang MP Noh Omar and Baling MP Azeez Abdul Rahim openly disputed Ismail's claim that they were among the 31 BN parliamentarians still supporting Muhyiddin.

There are a total of 73 non-BN lawmakers in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government. Combined with the remaining 29 BN parliamentarians which Ismail claims still support Muhyiddin, that's only 102 MPs, short of the 111 needed for a simple majority.

There are presently 220 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat while two more seats are vacant.

Hanipa, a lawyer by training, said there was no room for uncertainty at any time as to the legal and constitutional status of the prime minister.

"Once a prime minister has duly lost the command of the majority, such a vital issue ought to be expeditiously resolved," added the Amanah lawmaker.

He pointed out that during the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis, the confidence of then ousted menteri besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was determined by the palace without waiting for the state assembly to convene.

"It also drives home the point as to the nature of urgency on this matter," he said. - Mkini