BN conspicuously absent in Muhyiddin's statement claiming majority

 

BN as a coalition was conspicuously absent from Perikatan Nasional chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin's announcement that he had enough support to form the government.

Muhyiddin said his backers are Sarawak's GPS, Sabah's GRS and "several MPs".

“Several other MPs have also given the same commitment (to back me as prime minister),” he said in a statement today.

The statement came moments after GPS said it would be willing to work with PN, BN and GRS to form a government.

Muhyiddin’s omission of BN indicated that not all of the former ruling coalition’s 30 MPs are on board to support PN.

Speculation is rife that embattled Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is trying to align BN with Pakatan Harapan instead.

However, several BN MPs are friendly to PN and had been proponents for cooperation before Umno under Zahid took a hardline against it.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi

Without BN, a combination of PN, GPS, and GRS has only 101 seats in Parliament.

They need 10 more to meet the current simple majority of 111, or 11 to have a more stable 112 majority once the two vacant Parliament seats are filled up.

Under the anti-hopping law, MPs don't lose their seats if they don't quit or resign from their party.

In theory, this allows MPs to go against party lines in supporting a prime minister candidate.

However, some parties like DAP have amended party rules so that rogue MPs who go against the party's decisions are considered to have "resigned" - thus triggering the anti-hopping law. BN has not made similar amendments.

Strong rebound after Malacca, Johor polls

After poor performances at the Malacca and Johor state elections, Muhyiddin's PN coalition staged a strong rebound yesterday and captured all seats in Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis, as well as almost all of Kedah's parliamentary seats except one.

The coalition also won big in Perak and Pahang, and also captured Harapan strongholds such as Permatang Pauh and Kuala Langat.

In total, PN bagged 73 seats - while its Sabah chapter GRS won six seats.

The coalition that won the most seats was Harapan with 82. Its leader Anwar Ibrahim also claims to have majority support to form a government. - Mkini