PETALING JAYA: The Pakatan Harapan presidential council says it disagrees that a general election should be called now as it urges all MPs who are against the Prime Minister to back Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as a candidate for the top post.

       The call came ahead of the motion of confidence for Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin’s leadership that is scheduled to be voted on in the Dewan Rakyat when it reconvenes next month.

       The council, headed by Anwar, who is PKR president, Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, called on the MPs to immediately go to the negotiating table to unite and form a new majority in Parliament.

       Reiterating its stance in supporting Anwar as the prime ministerial candidate, the council said it also disagreed with holding a general election amid the heightened Covid-19 pandemic before the current 14th Parliament’s term ends on July 16, 2023.

       “Therefore, the presidential council invites all MPs who are against Muhyiddin to unite and support Anwar as the prime ministerial candidate to form a new majority in Parliament.

       “For the future of the people and the country, all parties that are against Muhyiddin must go to the negotiating table now to form an inclusive, fair and progressive government whereby each party is treated fairly.

       “Therefore, it is important for all parties to unite under a government that can right all the wrongs and failures of the Perikatan Nasional government when the confidence vote on the Prime Minister is tabled in Parliament.

       “This is so that any takeover of the government will only happen among parties that have agreed upon principles such as institutional reforms, good governance and an independent judiciary,” said the council in a statement yesterday.

       The council said it made the call as the rakyat had been hoping that the political crisis would be put to an end as soon as possible and a capable leadership emerged to manage the Covid-19 pandemic and drive economic recovery.

       “At a time when active Covid-19 cases are over 200,000 daily and more than 1,000 patients are in intensive care, and every day we witness hundreds of deaths due to Covid-19 coupled with unemployment and loss of income plaguing the rakyat, we are in dire need of a stable and effective government led by a prime minister who has the legitimacy and majority support of the MPs,” it added.