2 govt MPs explain absence in vote to limit PM’s tenure

 Bukit Gantang MP Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal says he left before the voting because he disagreed with the proposed law, while Julau MP Larry Sng says he was stuck in traffic.

Bukit Gantang MP Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal said he disagreed with the bill, while Julau MP Larry Sng said he would have voted in its favour if he had not been delayed.

PETALING JAYA:

 Bukit Gantang MP Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal confirmed tonight that he did not turn up to vote for a bill that would limit the prime minister’s tenure to 10 years.

Syed Hussin said he decided to skip the vote because he disagreed with the proposed law.

“I want Anwar Ibrahim to remain as prime minister for as long as possible,” Syed Hussin, who pledged his support for Anwar in 2024, told FMT.

Earlier today, FMT reported that Syed Hussin was among the eight MPs from the government bloc absent during the vote on the bill.

The other seven were Hishammuddin Hussein (Sembrong), M Saravanan (Tapah), Larry Sng (Julau), Henry Sum Agong (Lawas), Suhaimi Nasir (Libaran), Riduan Rubin (Tenom) and former Sabah deputy chief minister Jeffrey Kitingan (Keningau).

Sng also confirmed his absence from today’s vote.

“I was on my way back to Parliament from an engagement but was stuck in traffic,” he said, adding that he supported the bill.

The Dewan Rakyat failed to pass a constitutional amendment to limit the prime minister’s tenure after the vote fell short of the required two-thirds majority.

In the bloc vote, 146 MPs supported the bill, 44 abstained and 32 were absent. It needed at least 148 votes to meet the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment.

Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Alice Lau later revealed that eight MPs from the government bloc were absent, while all of Pakatan Harapan’s MPs were “present and backed the bill”. - FMT