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The song “He has the whole world in his hands” could be an apt description of Art (Azhar) Harun, the speaker of the Dewan Rakyat. His YouTube video analyzing his thoughts on how a government can be legally toppled five years ago is circulating on social media.
The video is certainly useful for the layman to understand the political maneuvers currently taking place and how they can turn out.
Art cited the case of Stephen Kalong Ningkan against Abang Openg and Tawi Sli, where the provisions of the Sarawak Constitution state that lack of trust can only be demonstrated by a vote in the Negeri Council, and the case of Perak, where the late Sultan concluded that the owner menteri besar no longer had the confidence of the assembly without having passed through a vote of no confidence.
The third option Art explained is to defeat a government bill in the Dewan Rakyat; that could be a possibility when the 2012 budget is presented in November. If it happens, the rakyat will be the losers as a budget focused on Covid-19 is urgently needed.
Art has not allowed the vote of confidence against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin presented by Dr. Mahathir Mahathir since May. In a recent letter to the speaker, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Ku Li) had questioned Art why the motion of no confidence was not debated in the Dewan Rakyat during the previous meeting. Ku Li believes that the motion should have been debated in order for the government to prove its legitimacy in Parliament. He also cited article 43 of the Federal Constitution, which states that a sitting prime minister must obtain the trust of Dewan Rakyat as a prerequisite for him to be able to officially lead office.
In what seems to be the buck, Art told Ku Li to consult with the de facto law minister, Takiyuddin Hassan, to come forward and debate the motion of no confidence against Muhyiddin. Art has issued a statement and defended his position saying that he is following the UK and Australian conventions and has no power to prioritize the sequence of the agenda in Parliament. It is up to the government to agree to the request.
If Art allows the vote of confidence at the next Dewan Rakyat meeting as the first item of the day, and based on the current political struggle, there may be a possibility that Muhyddin will be removed and the NP government collapse.
If the motion of confidence is delayed and others claim to have the numbers, it is also likely that, as in the Perak case, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong will have to decide on the matter in accordance with Article 43 (2) (a) , where the Agong will appoint a deputy that His Majesty believes has the support of the majority in the august house.
Anwar Ibrahim has already claimed pole position, saw the Agong and declared that he has the numbers to form a new government. There have been conflicting statements after Anwar’s hearing with the Agong and some party leaders are questioning his claim.
In February, Agong had to interview literally every deputy to determine majority support. It was an unusual method adopted and was described as a “royal coup” by a British newspaper. In the possibility of a constitutional crisis, Idrus Harun, the current attorney general, will certainly be involved. Idrus is Art’s older brother.
Even since he was appointed as a speaker, netizens have been debating why Art behaves that way. He was seen as a reformist, and the video itself shows Art’s concern about what was going on with the government at the time.
Art was also known as a human rights lawyer and writer. Human rights issues, religious conflicts, or the 1MDB affair at the time could have prompted him to make such a video.
In September 2018, Art was appointed president of the Electoral Commission. Those in the legal circle say that Azhar is a man of integrity, highly intelligent and committed to democracy and good governance. They also believe that these qualities made him the right person to lead the CE. However, those who previously praised him have now expressed anger at his alleged turnaround, especially at the motion of distrust.
Delaying a confidence motion under the current circumstances does not bode well for Malaysia’s parliamentary democracy. Anwar has stated that he has the numbers to form a government and has seen Agong broadcast the same. Umno is now the agitator presenting a list of new demands. The government of Perikatan Nasional (PN) is now weak and hanging by the thread.
Muhyddin now has two options: give in to Umno’s demands or call a general election. Either action is considered “suicidal”, and there are lessons to be learned after the Sabah elections on the spread of Covid-19. The so-called “Abah” is now caught between a rock and a hard place.
Nazri Aziz has indicated what Umno dislikes, and it is mainly about positions. But one thing that stood out was his statement about the “targeted pursuit” of Umno’s best. People fear that, as a compromise, cases will be dropped. That will be a disaster in the making and a mockery of our criminal justice system if it happens.
The last speaker to run into trouble in the chamber was Pandikar Amin Mulia, who rejected questions raised by opposition MPs related to the controversial state wealth fund 1MDB. A dissatisfied MP, Mahfuz Omar, during the actual speech debate, said that Pandikar’s continued rejection of any discussion of 1MDB would give the public the impression that the speaker was defending the government or anyone who might be responsible for the scandal. .
Art seems to be giving the same impression but has defended his actions.
The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
