GEIS-新闻详情

Malaysian PM Muhyiddin to negotiate with opposition ahead of confidence vote, pledges July 2022 election

2021-08-13 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-亚洲原网页

PUTRAJAYA - Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Friday (Aug 13) he will negotiate with parties outside his Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition to seek opposition support ahead of a confidence vote scheduled for early September.

While he didn't say it explicitly, Tan Sri Muhyiddin's comments are an admission that he no longer has majority support in parliament, but he said he would not step down as premier despite "doubts raised over my legitimacy as Prime Minister and the status of Perikatan Nasional (PN) as the ruling government".

"The cabinet agreed we will discuss with the leaders of other parties outside PN to pass the confidence vote on the prime minister in Parliament,” said Mr Muhyiddin.

"This confidence vote can only be passed with bipartisan support," he added.

The embattled premier said he chose not to resign as no other MP can prove they have Parliamentary majority support.

“If I resign now, according to the Federal Constitution, the whole cabinet has to resign too. This means that the PN government will fall," he pointed out.

“As no other MP has the majority at this time, the prime minister cannot be appointed, according to the federal constitution. If a PM cannot be appointed, then the cabinet cannot be appointed and a new government cannot be formed. What will happen if the political crisis prolongs ... who will ensure the vaccination programme runs according to schedule?” said Mr Muhyiddin.

The Premier's statement, in an address to the nation, comes after Malaysia's King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, requested that Parliament reconvene sooner than Sept 6 to test the Premier's majority.

If he wins the confidence vote with a two-thirds majority, Mr Muhyiddin pledged to implement reforms including limiting a prime minister's tenure to two terms and table an anti-party-hopping law to prevent elected lawmakers from switching sides.

Mr Muhyiddin also said the government would table an amendment to the legislation to implement a lower voting age of 18, and hold a general election by end-July next year, depending on the pandemic situation.

He said a confidence vote would allow the government to keep functioning until there was an election.

He also said the Opposition Leader will be given all perks akin to a senior minister's rank and that the Covid-19 fund to fight the pandemic would be increased from RM65 billion (S$20.8 billion) to RM110 billion.