Anwar should be given right to form next govt, says Hanipa

 

Anwar Ibrahim, who has the backing of the 88-member Pakatan Harapan bloc, should be given preference to form the next government, says Mohamed Hanipa Maidin.

PETALING JAYA: Port Dickson MP Anwar Ibrahim should be given the preference to form the next government since his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition is the single largest bloc in the Dewan Rakyat with 88 members, a former deputy minister said.

Mohamed Hanipa Maidin said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) is now left with only 76 MPs after Umno officially withdrew its support for him.

Until the Umno Supreme Council decided to withdraw its support early this morning, the prime minister is believed to have had the support of some 114 MPs compared to the opposition’s 106.

Umno is the largest bloc in Muhyiddin’s government with 38 MPs although several individuals from the party, such as Machang MP Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, had earlier withdrawn support.

Hanipa, the deputy law minister under the 22-month old PH administration, said that if all 38 MPs followed Umno’s directive, Muhyiddin was only left with 76 MPs.

“So it is honourable for him to tender his resignation so (that) the Yang di-Pertuan Agong can appoint a new prime minister to tackle the pressing health and economic crisis,” said the Sepang MP.

He said Anwar should seek an audience with the King as PH still recognised him as the prime ministerial candidate.

Hanipa said the King cannot be expected to look at a precise mathematical formula in appointing a prime minister from among the 220 Dewan Rakyat members.

He said one had to do a careful reading of Article 43 (2)(a) of the Federal Constitution which states that the King appoints a prime minister who, in his judgment, is likely to command the confidence of the majority.

“So, the King can use his discretion to form an opinion as to who has the majority support. It does not mean it must be 50% or more,” he said.

Hanipa said the King could then request the appointee to convene an emergency session of the Dewan Rakyat “to test from the floor” whether he enjoys the support of the majority in the House.

Hanipa said whatever the criticism against Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was prime minister for 22 months until February 2020, he had acted constitutionally by resigning when several MPs left PH to form PN.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had, after a four-hour Supreme Council meeting last night, announced that the party was officially withdrawing its support for Muhyiddin.

He asked the prime minister to step down as the government had failed to fulfil the two requirements the party had set to justify support for the administration. - FMT