The country’s current political impasse, which sees the Perikatan Nasional government’s legitimacy in doubt, can be solved by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, according to former attorney-general Tommy Thomas.
Given that the government has agreed to reopen the Parliament by Aug 1, he said the king can tell Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to go through a motion of confidence in the Dewan Rakyat.
“There is one solution to the impasse.
“Now we know Parliament is sitting by Aug 1... (what it takes now) is for his majesty to summon the prime minister and tell him ‘look, your political legitimacy is an issue, nobody is satisfied with your 112 (majority), so within a week or three days of the Parliament sitting you must have a motion of confidence’,” Thomas said.
The lawyer was speaking in a webinar titled “Emergency, Democracy and The Rule of Law” organised by Sekhar Institute this morning. Other panelists are former Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, PKR vice-president Shamsuliskandar Mohd Akin, DAP Youth chief Howard Lee, and actor Afdlin Shauki.
According to Thomas, what is left next is for the Dewan Rakyat speaker to call for the motion to be debated by MPs.
He said there must be a whole day dedicated to allowing for a debate on the motion, and it must be televised as well, after which a vote is taken among MPs.
“The Yang di-Pertuan Agong can say to the prime minister that ‘if you are defeated, then you have to resign and I will form the new government on my judgement who have the majority’,” he said.
Yesterday, the government announced that Parliament will be reopened before the end of the emergency this Aug 1.
De facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan in a statement had said that Muhyiddin has decided to call for a Parliament sitting as soon as possible, and a date will be finalised in the next cabinet meeting on July 7.
Parliament has been suspended since Jan 11, when the emergency was proclaimed. - Mkini
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