Anwar: Up to MPs to decide on confidence vote during normal sitting

Pakatan Harapan will not level a confidence motion against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin should an emergency Dewan Rakyat sitting be convened to debate the RM250 billion economic stimulus package.

However, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim did not rule out such a motion during “normal” sittings.

“Well, I made the specific call to convene a special session of parliament to debate the measures on Covid-19. And I have given the assurance that the issue of (a) vote of no confidence will not arise.

“For a normal sitting of parliament, that is, of course, for MPs to decide.

“I made it very clear, the government should not use Covid-19 to say that they will be secure forever,” he said when asked about the motion during an online press conference today.

In light of the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Muhyiddin had on March 27 announced the RM250 billion stimulus package that included an RM25 billion direct fiscal injection from the government.

He later rolled out RM10 billion worth of measures for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Anwar and DAP MP Lim Kit Siang have repeatedly called for these measures to be debated by lawmakers before Parliament officially convenes on May 18 to allow scrutiny into the disbursement of the funds.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad previously indicated that Harapan intended to challenge the legitimacy of the Perikatan Nasional government in the Dewan Rakyat.

The Harapan administration fell in the last week of February after Bersatu and several PKR MPs quit the coalition to form a government with BN, PAS and GPS. - Mkini