The Reason Why The Agong Allowed Muhyiddin To Form The Government

In short, the rakyat gave the MPs they voted for the mandate to speak and act on their behalf for the next five years. And this mandate includes the power to leave one bloc to join another bloc. There is nothing wrong or illegal in that. Anwar Ibrahim taught us that when he tried to get 30 Barisan Nasional MPs to cross over to Pakatan Rakyat on 16th September 2008. Of course, Anwar failed, but had he been successful then Pakatan Rakyat would have LEGALLY been the government on the 16th of September 2008.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin told Malaysians he knows the people did not vote for Perikatan Nasional. Actually, they did not vote for Pakatan Harapan either. They voted for Umno, PPBM, PAS, PKR, DAP, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PBB, Warisan, Amanah, and so on. Those were the parties that contested the general election on 9th May 2018.

All the 36 political parties (and some independents) contesting the 14th general election or GE14 garnered a combined total of 12 million votes, which is 80% of the 15 million registered votes or about 37.5% of 32 million Malaysians.

The opposition bloc (which at that time consisted of PKR, DAP, PPBM and Amanah) won 45.68% of the votes and 50.9% of the seats. The ruling bloc and others won 54.32% of the votes but only 49.1% of the seats.

One important point to note is that only 16% of Malaysians voted for the Pakatan Harapan bloc. The balance 84% of Malaysians DID NOT vote for the Pakatan Harapan bloc. Hence when they say Pakatan Harapan represents the people’s voice that is not true. The Pakatan Harapan bloc only won the largest minority, not the majority, and a minority is still a minority. The truth is, Pakatan Harapan represents 16% of the people’s voice.

Only 16% of Malaysians or 45.68% of the voters voted for Pakatan Harapan

As DAP and all those others keep saying: the system is not fair. The Pakatan Harapan bloc won only 45.68% of the votes but they won 50.9% of the seats while those others who won 54.32% of the votes won only 49.1% of the seats. But then that is how the first-past-the-post system works, which Anwar Ibrahim complained about back in 2013.

Anyway, the total number of seats which the Pakatan Harapan bloc won was 113 out of 222 while the seats they DID NOT win was 109, a difference of four seats in favour of the Pakatan Harapan bloc.

Of course, that changed later when a few MPs from the non-Pakatan Harapan bloc crossed over to the Pakatan Harapan bloc (which the anti-Barisan Nasional people were very happy about) and changed, yet again, when a few MPs from the Pakatan Harapan bloc crossed over to the other side (which the anti-Barisan Nasional people were NOT happy about).

But then those who live by the sword die by the sword, is that not so? That is called karma. How can we get excited when non-Pakatan Harapan people cross over to Pakatan Harapan but then get angry when Pakatan Harapan people cross over to the other side? It is a two-way street, not a one-way street.

The message was clear: Mahathir never intended for Anwar to become PM7 or even PM8 and most people knew this

But never mind, let us now talk about whether the voters did or did not vote for Pakatan Harapan in GE14. I would say the answer is no. The voters voted for Umno, PPBM, PAS, PKR, DAP, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PBB, Warisan, Amanah, etc.

Let us take Terengganu and Kelantan as examples. The Pakatan Harapan bloc won only 7.3% of the votes in Terengganu and 10% of the votes in Kelantan. Umno and PAS combined won 92.7% and 90% of the votes in Terengganu and Kelantan respectively. The Pakatan Harapan bloc won zero seats while Umno and PAS combined won all the 99 state and parliament seats.

Basically, the people rejected Pakatan Harapan. However, PKR, PPBM and Amanah might have won (I repeat, might have won) some of those 99 seats had they contested under their individual banners rather than as partners of DAP under Pakatan Harapan.

The same goes for the Chinese voters in Penang, Selangor and Perak. They did not vote for Pakatan Harapan. They voted for DAP. If DAP was not a partner in Pakatan Harapan but had instead contested as an independent party, Pakatan Harapan would not have won those 42 Chinese seats. Most likely the Pakatan Harapan bloc would have won only 70 seats or less instead of 113 seats.

The Chinese support DAP, not Pakatan Harapan, and if DAP was not in Pakatan Harapan they would not get any Chinese votes

So, perish the thought that Pakatan Harapan won GE14 and therefore is the legitimate government of Malaysia.

PKR, DAP, PPBM and Amanah, which contested under the banner of Pakatan Harapan, won only 45.68% of the votes, while all the others won 54.32% of the votes. But then PKR, DAP, PPBM and Amanah combined their seats. Hence, combined, they gained a four-seat majority over all the others.

Yes, just a four-seat majority. Two seats less and the Pakatan Harapan bloc would have won just 111 seats, which is below  the ‘magic’ figure of 112 seats and would have been a ‘hung’ parliament. So, it is not really an ‘overwhelming victory’ like the impression they are trying to give, especially when these 113 seats were won with only 45.68% of the votes.

Anwar Ibrahim proved that cross-overs are legal when he launched his “Langkah 16 September” in 2008

And did Anwar Ibrahim not say that any party or bloc that wins the election with less than 50% of the votes is an illegitimate government? That is what Anwar kept saying back in GE13. Would that not also apply to Pakatan Harapan in GE14? Why is it in GE13 any party or bloc that wins with less than 50% of the votes is an illegitimate government while for GE14 it is legitimate?

So, the Pakatan Harapan bloc formed the government not because they won more than 50% of the votes but because PKR, DAP, PPBM and Amanah combined their seats to total 113, just two seats above the 50% mark of 111 seats, which gave them a majority of four seats above all the others.

Okay, what happens when the combination changes, as it did on 1st March 2020? Well, if the combination changes then the bloc changes as well. The Pakatan Harapan bloc of PKR, DAP, PPBM and Amanah totalled 113 seats on 9th May 2018. On 1st March 2020, the Perikatan Nasional bloc of PPBM, Umno and PAS totalled more than the Pakatan Harapan bloc of PKR, DAP, PPBM and Amanah. Hence the new bloc takes over. Simple!

Now, for this to happen, Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong interviewed each and every one of the 222 MPs to personally ask them which bloc they want to be in: the Pakatan Harapan bloc or the Perikatan Nasional bloc? More than 112 MPs said they wish to be in the Perikatan Nasional bloc and less than 112 MPs said they want to be in the Pakatan Harapan bloc.

More than 112 MPs told His Majesty the Agong they support Muhyiddin Yassin as PM8

Let me repeat that. His Majesty the Agong interviewed each and every one of the 222 MPs to personally ask them which bloc they want to be in and more than 112 MPs said they wish to be in the Perikatan Nasional bloc while less than 112 MPs said they want to be in the Pakatan Harapan bloc. That was how Muhyiddin Yassin became the new prime minister or PM8.

What about the so-called people’s choice or people’s wishes? That is the people’s choice or people’s wishes. When the people go to the polls to vote for their choice of MP, basically they have transferred their rights to the MPs. The MPs represent the people, which is why they are called wakil rakyat.

In short, the rakyat gave the MPs they voted for the mandate to speak and act on their behalf for the next five years. If you do not like what they say and do then in the next general election do not vote for them, vote for somebody else. However, in the meantime, the MPs you voted for speak and act in your name. That is how the system works.

And this mandate includes the power to leave one bloc to join another bloc. There is nothing wrong or illegal in that. Anwar Ibrahim taught us that when he tried to get 30 Barisan Nasional MPs to cross over to Pakatan Rakyat on 16th September 2008. Of course, Anwar failed, but had he been successful then Pakatan Rakyat would have LEGALLY been the government on the 16th of September 2008.

Pakatan Harapan is trying to use the COVID-19 debate on the RM250 billion stimulus package to pass a vote of no confidence against Muhyiddin in parliament