Harapan calls for MPs to back Anwar as PM, avoid snap polls

 

Pakatan Harapan has called on lawmakers opposed to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to back PKR president Anwar Ibrahim as the prime minister.

This is to avoid snap polls amid the Covid-19 pandemic, they argued.

"Harapan does not agree with any general election to be held while the pandemic is raging.

"As such, the (Harapan) presidential council calls on all MPs who oppose and reject Muhyiddin to support Anwar as a prime minister candidate to prove support and form a new majority in Parliament," they said in a statement today.

The statement was jointly signed by Anwar, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

Malaysiakini's tracking indicates that Muhyiddin is 11 MPs short of a majority in the Dewan Rakyat, putting the prime minister at risk of losing his job.

But while 120 MPs are against Muhyiddin, there is no single opposition faction with a majority.

Harapan only has 88 MPs on its side, with one independent lawmaker Maszlee Malik seen as friendly to the coalition.

Getting support from other opposition parties may be tough.

Warisan may want to push for its president Shafie Apdal to be prime minister instead, while Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad seems disinterested in building a government - and is instead bent on forming a National Recovery Council.

Even with support from Warisan, Pejuang, Upko, PSB, and another independent Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Anwar would only have the backing of 105 MPs.

To get a simple majority, Anwar would thus either have to get the support from 15 Umno MPs fighting against Muhyiddin or secure defections from the prime minister's partners in Perikatan Nasional such as GPS.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi - who heads the anti-Muhyiddin faction - is alleged to be in league with Anwar.

However, Zahid will likely be hindered from providing direct support to Anwar as Umno's annual general assembly and the supreme council have been firm in not backing the PKR president or DAP to form a government.

A vote of confidence is scheduled to be held in Parliament on Sept 7, but Muhyiddin is facing royal pressure to convene the Dewan Rakyat earlier.

 - Mkini