No motion for confidence vote or changing of speaker

Neither a vote of confidence on the prime minister nor the removal of the Dewan Rakyat speaker is on the agenda when the Dewan Rakyat reconvenes next week.

According to the preliminary order paper, the first business after the royal address is to choose a deputy speaker.

This will be followed by a motion from the home minister on housekeeping matters, then followed by a motion from Beaufort MP Azizah Mohd Dun to thank the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for his address.

The government will then table five bills for the second reading, including the contentious Independent Police Complaints Commission Bill 2020. There are also five opposition bills.

Three days before appointing Ismail Sabri Yaakob as prime minister, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had explicitly decreed that the new prime minister must seek a vote of confidence "as soon as possible".

A confidence vote is not prescribed by law and instead is a convention to test whether a chief executive commands majority support of the members of the House.

Four heads of state governments have been removed through a confidence vote in Malaysia's short history. The most recent victim was Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who lost a confidence vote in December last year and was ousted as the menteri besar of Perak.

However, whether or not Ismail Sabri commands the support of the majority will be tested on Sept 14 when the government tables a motion to appoint the new deputy speaker.

Meanwhile, none of the motions submitted by MPs on the removal of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun will appear on the agenda.

Previously, Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil and Pulai MP Salahuddin Ayub had publicly revealed that they were among many who had submitted such motions, only to have Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohd Rashid Hasnon reject them on various grounds.

Azhar said he did not personally handle the motions to avoid a conflict of interest and handed the matter to the deputy speaker's office.

Several high-level Umno sources had told Malaysiakini on Sept 4 that the party plans to replace Azhar.

However, since the motion to do so does not appear on the order paper now, the Umno MPs only option left is to move an emergency motion. - Mkini