PUTRAJAYA: Umno has challenged the government to call for a special Parliament sitting immediately instead of waiting till September to prove that Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has the confidence of House.

       "Umno challenges the government to immediately call for Parliament to convene to prove that the Prime Minister still has the majority," party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Wednesday (Aug 4).

       He claimed that before this, Perikatan Nasional only had the support of 114 MPs.

       Ahmad Zahid said that on July 30, statutory declarations from eight Umno MPs retracting their support for the Perikatan government and Muhyiddin as Prime Minister had been sent to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

       "I have sent a letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong today (Aug 4) to present His Majesty with additional statutory declarations. This is in addition to those I presented to the King earlier," he said.

       Following Umno's announcement, Muhyiddin, in a special address said that he was not resigning but would instead table a motion of confidence in the Dewan Rakyat in September to determine the legitimacy of his position.