Unlikely for PN gov't to last until GE15, says Anwar

In the wake of a failed attempt to table a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said it remains "very unlikely" that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government will be in power until the next general election.

Asked about his prediction if the PN government will survive until the end of its term in three years, Anwar, (photo) in an interview with Bloomberg Television, said: "Very unlikely. But for the Opposition, to my mind what is important is our commitment to the reform agenda."

Anwar also claimed the PN government was "fearful" of a possibility that the no-confidence motion proposed by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad would have been successful, as purportedly reflected by a move to restrict the Dewan Rakyat proceedings yesterday to only feature the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's royal address.

"If the current government do have that confidence (of majority support), they would have conducted the affairs of Parliament in the usual manner. They did not.

"They were fearful the vote of no-confidence would have succeeded," said Anwar.

An initial seating arrangement plan for the session revealed that Muhyiddin commanded majority support from 114 MPs, although Sri Aman MP Masir Kujat later clarified that he is still a part of the Sarawak and federal opposition.

Quizzed on whether he would have been named as prime minister should the no-confidence vote turned out to be a success, Anwar, however, maintained that he is now the leader of the opposition to keep his members intact and committed to the reform agenda.

"It is not an issue of personalities here. People tend to talk about personalities.

"We are here, we received the mandate to undertake clear structural reforms in the country," he stressed.

The Harapan chairperson further insisted that Malaysians at large will continue to demand structural reforms and not just a cosmetic change to the individuals appointed to power.

"People do not just want us to take over. Take over for what? Just to replace ministers?

"Takeover (is) to undertake effective reforms. To make sure enough of corruption, enough of excesses, enough of cronyism and enough of compromise on the rule of law," he said, adding there must also be a system in place to cater for the welfare of the majority.

Anwar also cited the decision on Riza Aziz's plea bargain on 1MDB-related money laundering charges as an example of PN's lack of commitment to uphold the rule of law.

Although admitting that the previous Harapan administration appeared to be less critical of their leaders compared to when pursuing corruption charges against their predecessors from BN, Anwar said the principle remains that all governments should strive to push for a reform agenda.

"I think the issue (case) of Riza Aziz must be reopened and many Malaysians are unhappy about it," he added.

Under the plea bargain deal, Riza, the stepson of former premier Najib Abdul Razak, was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) for charges of money laundering involving US$248 million (RM1.08 billion) linked to 1MDB funds.

In exchange, Riza is to return foreign assets estimated to be worth US$107.3 million (RM465.3 million).

The Prime Minister's Office yesterday clarified that Muhyiddin was not involved in the decision on Riza's plea bargain. - Mkini