Source: Agong told PM to bring forward Dewan Rakyat sitting

 

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has told Muhyiddin Yassin to bring forward the Dewan Rakyat sitting amid uncertainty over the latter’s legitimacy as prime minister.

This was according to a source privy to what transpired at Istana Negara this morning, where Muhyiddin had an audience with Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah before the start of this week’s cabinet meeting.

“Tuanku has told the prime minister to bring forward the date (of Parliament sitting), that was it,” said a source, who spoke on strict condition of anonymity.

According to the high-ranking source, no specific date was set during the meeting. However, it is understood that it should be called earlier than Sept 6, which is the date which has been set for the opening ceremony of this year's first Parliament sitting.

“The king also reminded Muhyiddin about the need to prove his majority in Parliament, and do the necessary in accordance with Article 43(4) of the Federal Constitution,” the source added.

Article 43(4) stipulates that a prime minister is required to tender his resignation if he ceases to command the confidence of the majority of MPs unless the king orders for the dissolution of the Parliament.

It was not known if Muhyiddin had given his agreement to call for an early sitting as per the monarch's wish.

At the time of writing, the Prime Minister’s Office had not responded to Malaysiakini’s request for comments.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller of the Royal Household's office declined to comment.

Sultan Abdullah’s wish to see Dewan Rakyat reconvene sooner than scheduled came days after a substantial number of MPs sent letters to the king saying that they reject Muhyiddin as prime minister.

It is learnt that the number of MPs who signed the letters was well beyond half of all MPs, including 105 from the opposition and 14 from Umno, which recently announced that it ceases to support the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

There are a total of 222 Parliamentary seats. However, two of them are vacant following the deaths of the incumbents. The prime minister needs to command the support of at least 111 MPs to stay in power.

On Aug 3, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced the party’s decision to ditch PN, and claimed that it means the Muhyiddin government no longer commands majority support and thus is no longer a legitimate administration.

Following this, Muhyiddin on the next day held a special address insisting the majority of MPs are still on his side but promised to put himself through a vote of confidence in Dewan Rakyat when it convenes this September.

However, this did not go down well with many MPs, especially from the opposition, who believe that matters such as the legitimacy of a government must not be delayed. - Mkini