Unity govt unstable, BN MPs can threaten to leave any time, says Bersatu man

 

Bersatu’s Wan Saiful Wan Jan says BN MPs can threaten to leave Anwar Ibrahim’s government if their demands are not met.

PETALING JAYA: The unity government under the leadership of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is unstable and can be threatened at any time by Barisan Nasional, says Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

He said the situation was the same during the Perikatan Nasional government under the leadership of former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, and the government made up of PN and BN ministers led by Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Wan Saiful said Anwar’s government is dependent on the bloc of 30 BN MPs in his unity government, and if they resist Anwar’s push for reforms, they could withdraw support.

“I pity the prime minister for talking about reforms but facing a group that can threaten him, and has a record of bringing down governments, if their demands are not met,” he said in an interview on Astro Awani last night.

Muhyiddin, the PN chairman, resigned in August 2021 after 15 Umno MPs withdrew their support for PN, leading to the collapse of his government.

He was replaced by Ismail, who faced pressure from Umno to dissolve Parliament and call for an early election.

The general election on Nov 19 led to a hung Parliament, with Anwar appointed prime minister on Nov 24  leading a unity government consisting of Pakatan Harapan, BN, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.

Anwar also has the support of MPs from Muda, Warisan, Parti Bangsa Malaysia and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat, and two independents which, he said, gives his government a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

However, PH has drawn flak for choosing to cooperate with BN in light of its opposition to BN leaders who were facing ongoing court cases.

Stating that BN chairman and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s corruption case will be a closely watched affair, Wan Saiful questioned the impact that it would have on Anwar’s government.

“What will happen if he is found to be innocent? And if Zahid is guilty, what consequence will that have on the government? This is a big issue,” the Tasek Gelugor MP said.

Wan Saiful said he was proud that PN chose to remain in the opposition and not put aside its principles, adding that it was unlike PH, which was willing to reach a compromise with BN.

“It’s just that I’m worried about the attitude of populist politicians in the PH government who make the public fed up with politicians,” he said.

“Today they say one thing, tomorrow they say something different, and the day after that, they say something else again.” - FMT