[ad_1]
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is about to lose his majority in Parliament after a Umno lawmaker announced that he was withdrawing his support for the administration.
This leaves the Perikatan Nasional government in command of only half of Malaysia’s lower house.
Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub, the deputy for the Machang district in Kelantan, announced that he was withdrawing support for Tan Sri Muhyiddin on Saturday (January 9), just days after he resigned as chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). ).
“I announce my withdrawal of support for the Perikatan Nasional government led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin,” Ahmad Jazlan said during a surprise press conference on Saturday.
Datuk Ahmad Jazlan’s withdrawal means that PN effectively only has 110 lawmakers backing his administration in the 220-member parliament, and he no longer has the majority to pass laws without gaining the support of the opposition caucus.
Ahmad Jazlan’s decision comes days after several Umno leaders indicated that the party is ready to withdraw its support for Muhyiddin, which would lead to the collapse of the government.
Although not part of the PN coalition, which includes Bersatu, the Islamist PAS party and the Sabah STAR party, Umno’s support for the government is vital, with its 38 deputies, the highest number among all ruling parties, boosting the presence of the PN in Parliament. However, the party has threatened several times to withdraw support for the PN.
Another Umno lawmaker, the elderly statesman Tengku Razaleigh Tengku Hamzah, called the Muhyiddin government “illegitimate” and did not support the latter’s first federal budget, passed in December last year with only a two-vote majority. Tengku Razaleigh was also one of many legislators who tried, unsuccessfully, to have a vote of no confidence against Muhyiddin debated in Parliament.
Two-thirds of Umno’s divisions resolved to cut ties with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Muhyiddin’s party, last week. The divisional resolutions will be brought to a Umno general assembly scheduled for January 31, where a final decision is expected to be made on Umno’s continued support for the government.
Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed on Saturday that the party’s highest decision-making body, the supreme council, has also supported the motion to sever ties with Bersatu, and the matter will now be presented to party delegates. during the next general assembly.
But internal conflicts persist. Annuar Musa, a deputy from Umno who continues to support the PN administration and has consistently called for greater cooperation between Umno and Bersatu, was removed by Ahmad Zahid as Barisan Nasional’s general secretary on Tuesday.
In return, Annuar claimed the next day that Ahmad Zahid had previously issued a letter declaring his support for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to become Malaysia’s next prime minister.
Datuk Seri Anwar claimed the parliamentary majority in September last year, but never publicly revealed which MPs supported him. Although he was granted an audience with the King of Malaysia, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, he has so far failed to convince the monarch of his majority claim.
Muhyiddin’s PN coalition has 50 seats in the Malaysian Parliament. The Barisan Nasional coalition, led by Umno, has 42 seats. The remainder of the government’s backing comes from a coalition of Sarawak parties: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), an independent MP and another MP from Sabah.
The Pakatan Harapan opposition coalition, which is led by Anwar, has 91 seats. But the opposition hall is also full of other parties, such as the Parti Pejuang Tanah Airku (Pejuang) of former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Parti Warisan Sabah, and also the Muda party of former Cabinet Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, serving young people.
The Malaysian Parliament will not meet again until March.
[ad_2]
