The Malaysian Insight

PRIME Minister Muhyiddin Yassin outlined an offer to opposition MPs today to get bipartisan support to stay in power and steer the country out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said he will not resign but that his cabinet had agreed that negotiations will be held with leaders of parties “outside Perikatan Nasional (PN)” ahead of a confidence vote to test his majority in Parliament next month.

”The cabinet agreed we will discuss with the leaders of other parties outside PN to pass the confidence vote on the prime minister in the Dewan Rakyat,” said Muhyiddin in a live telecast at 6pm this evening.

He said he had chosen not to resign as no other MPs can prove they have majority support either.

“If I resign today, it’s not only me but the whole cabinet that has to resign too. This means that the PN government will fall. 

“I think no other MP has the majority hence no prime minister can be appointed according to the federal constitution. If there is no PM, it means there is no cabinet and no government. 

“What will happen in such a situation?” asked Muhyiddin, who was flanked during the telecast by ministers Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, Mohamed Azmin Ali, Dr Radzi Jidin, Hamzah Zainudin, Dr Wee Ka Siong, M. Saravanan, Hishammuddin Hussein, Fazilah Yusof, and Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.

On paper, the Pagoh MP lost the confidence of the majority of MPs last week when Umno announced that as many as 14 MPs have withdrawn their support for him.

Muhyiddin, 74, asked how would government policies be carried without a government. 

“Which government will ensure the vaccination programme can be carried out effectively and on schedule when we are just two months away from achieving herd immunity?

“If the political crisis interrupts this process and a new government cannot be formed, our target of herd immunity will not be achieved and more lives will be endangered,” he added, as the country’s Covid-19 death toll hit 11,968 today.

Muhyiddin was explaining why he had not resigned as prime minister despite having lost majority support, and why he was now inviting the opposition to support him instead.

“This will enable PN to continue to manage the pandemic until such a suitable time an election can be held. The confidence vote can be passed with bipartisan support in Dewan Rakyat,” said the Bersatu president. 

He said a government with bipartisan support will be more stable and inclusive. 

“This will enable opposition parties to play a check and balance role more effectively as political stability is very important for us to combat the pandemic and restore the country.”

In exchange for supporting him in the confidence vote next month, Muhyiddin said his administration would introduce bills to limit the term of the prime minister and to stop lawmakers from party-hopping.

Other reforms would be to ensure balance in the composition of parliamentary select committees between ruling and opposition MPs to ensure check and balance, and to have half of all such committees chaired by members of the opposition.

He also promised amendments to the relevant laws needed in order to facilitate Undi18, or the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18.

If he remained as prime minister, he also pledged to increase the government’s Covid-19 spending by RM45 billion to RM110 billion, to suppress the pandemic, which remains out of control and to improve monetary aid to the people and businesses.

The PN government had rejected the offer of a confidence and supply agreement with the opposition last year when it had a slim majority support of 115 MPs in Dewan Rakyat.

Muhyiddin is believed to have only 100 MPs supporting him after 14 Umno MPs withdrew their support for him in the last two weeks. The Dewan Rakyat has 222 seats but there are 220 MPs following the deaths of two lawmakers last year. – August 13, 2021.