Deputy speaker election: Two PN MPs voted BN, two backbenchers absent

 

The deputy speaker election on Monday resulted in an odd outcome where the two government candidates received a different number of votes.

Ramli Mohd Nor (BN-Cameron Highlands) had 148 votes while Alice Lau (Pakatan Harapan-Lanang) had 146.

It was initially assumed that two government MPs did not vote for Lau.

However, lawmakers speaking on condition of anonymity told Malaysiakini that they were reliably informed that two government MPs were actually absent during the deputy speaker election.

Checks by Malaysiakini of the Parliament livestream found that one of the two missing government backbenchers is M Saravanan (BN-Tapah).

His chair remained empty from before the vote until it concluded. Saravanan is, however, present later during the vote of confidence.

When contacted, Saravanan said he had gone out for lunch but did not make it back in time for the deputy speaker vote.

“When I entered Parliament they were already counting the votes,” he told Malaysiakini.

He also claimed to have not been informed that the deputy speaker election would be conducted right after the lunch break.

It is unclear who the second missing backbencher was or if one of them abstained from voting entirely.

Not voting during the deputy speaker election is unlikely to be in contravention of the memorandum of agreement between government MPs as it is not a motion of confidence or a fiscal bill.

Meanwhile, the MP sources said they were informed by Parliament staff that the two extra votes for Ramli had come from Perikatan Nasional, although their identities were not revealed to the lawmakers.

MPs were allowed to vote for either one or two of the three candidates for deputy speaker.

The third candidate, Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah), received 74 votes only.

Benchmark for PM’s support

The votes during the speaker and deputy speaker elections are currently secret and are not revealed in the Hansard.

As per the standing orders - Parliament’s rules - the ballots are currently sealed in a secure box where they will be kept for one month.

After one month, unless instructed otherwise, the ballots will be burnt.

The standing orders are silent on who can unseal the box - but the decision may rest on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as leader of the House.

The speaker and deputy speaker elections are thus far the only benchmarks for how much support Anwar has in the Dewan Rakyat as the motion of confidence on him passed with just a voice vote.

It can be surmised that the prime minister has 148 MPs on his side based on the election of Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul.

During that election, Johari received 147 votes while deputy minister Hanifah Hajar Taib (GPS-Mukah) missed the vote due to health reasons.

With Hanifah, the total votes for Johari could have been 148 - a two-thirds majority in the lower house. - Mkini