But we have seen a no-confidence motion before, says Azalina

It is possible to table a motion of no confidence against the prime minister even though the standing order is silent on the matter, said minister in charge of parliamentary affairs Azalina Othman.

She said a motion of no confidence against a PM was submitted by Opposition Leader Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail against then PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in June 2008 under standing orders 18(1) and (2).

However, she noted that speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia rejected the motion under order 18(7) because the motion was to seek a resolution while the standing orders cited by Wan Azizah was to seek a negotiation.

“So it is clear that the motion was not barred, but was not aligned with the cited standing orders,” she said in a blog post.

Her remarks comes after former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad last night lamented how a no confidence vote might now happen in Malaysia because the speaker will block it.

[More to follow]