Call for special sitting if you have the numbers, PM told

 

Muhyiddin Yassin dragging out the issue of parliamentary majority will mean more politicking and less focus on Covid-19 and the problems affecting the economy, says analyst. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin should just call for a special Dewan Rakyat sitting and prove his majority instead of waiting for September if he indeed has the support as he claims, says an analyst.

Former academic Azmi Hassan told FMT that this would even be good for his image, as delaying the vote of confidence to September would only cause Malaysians to speculate that “something is not right”.

“If he’s really confident that he has the majority, as he has told the King, he should call a special Parliament meeting for just one or two hours to resolve this matter once and for all.

“The longer it drags on, the more the current government cannot focus on handling the pandemic. What we want is a stable government and a prime minister who can give full attention to the pandemic.

“If not, over the next six weeks, the pandemic will take a back seat (to the political dealings), which will be detrimental to the people’s health,” he said.

Commenting on Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s renewed claim that the prime minister no longer had the majority, Azmi speculated that Muhyiddin’s insistence that he still has support probably took into account the deserting Umno MPs.

He predicted that the key would be Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Pejuang MPs, adding that the opposition parties needed to come out and state whether all of their MPs were against Muhyiddin. All the parties have already said so but individual MPs may yet choose to break away.

“Only if all speak out can it be proven beyond a doubt that Muhyiddin doesn’t have the majority. I suspect there are a few PH or Pejuang MPs who did sign statutory declarations (SDs) in support of Muhyiddin,” he said.

In insisting that Muhyiddin no longer commanded the majority in the Dewan Rakyat, Zahid said he had presented to the King more SDs from Umno MPs withdrawing support for the government. However, he did not state the number.

Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Pawi said Zahid’s claim was unlikely to unnerve the prime minister and his government, unless more Umno MPs announce their exit from the administration.

He added that either Muhyiddin or Zahid’s image is likely to be tarnished for failing to state the truth to the King as time passes and the real situation becomes clearer.

Meanwhile, Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Lee Kuok Tiung said having more SDs does not mean much, adding that the opposition should prove they have the majority rather than pushing Muhyiddin to prove that he had it.

“Recently, we have heard a lot about constitutional crises. I’m wondering which article in our constitution states that a prime minister should resign because of SDs,” he said.

“Maybe they should focus on the pandemic and the rakyat’s welfare while preparing for the Parliament sitting next month, which is surely the more proper way to prove whether Muhyiddin has the majority or not.” - FMT