PUTRAJAYA – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has confirmed that Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah indicated to him beforehand that the latter will submit to the Dewan Rakyat speaker a letter of query on a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The former prime minister said the Gua Musang MP believes it was wrong for Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun not to allow the motion when Dr Mahathir himself pushed for it.
“You see, obviously, the rule is that government matters come first, that is true, but when you plan it so that I don’t have a chance to (move the motion), that is abuse of power,” Dr Mahathir told an interview with The Vibes.
“I suppose Tengku Razaleigh wants to point out that the speaker has abused his authority and acted under influence, and therefore, he should now have a special meeting to let me move the ‘usul’ (motion).”
The Langkawi MP filed the motion against Muhyiddin in May, when Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof held the speaker’s post. In the July parliamentary session, the motion was included in the Order Paper, but placed at the end of the list of motions.
Dr Mahathir said he has not decided whether he will move the motion, citing the confusing state of the nation’s politics currently.
“Even if those who are supporting Muhyiddin work out what would happen if he is not the prime minister, what will happen to them? What will happen to the country is totally irrelevant (to them). Will they lose their jobs?
“I think they would not like to lose their jobs, and as you know, the 70 members, (if) these members vote against Muhyiddin, then of course, he will lose.
“If these members voted for Muhyiddin, he could have substantial support to the point where he’d be in the majority, maybe one or two.”
Things will only get worse in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic impact on the nation, he said, adding that concentrated effort is required to overcome these hurdles.
“It is time to bring in experts. You know, during my time, I appointed wise people and all that like Daim,” he said, referring to former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin.
“When you are in a tight spot, you need advice. You should call in people with the necessary (skills). Depend on them and listen to them, (but) not necessarily follow them.
“That has always been my way of doing things. Almost everything that I do is the result of plagiarism, somebody’s ideas.
“Like moving to Putrajaya, for example. It was (former Kuala Lumpur mayor) Elyas Omar who suggested it, but in the end, I made the decision to come here.
“I like to listen to people, even people who are critical of me, so that I do the right thing.” – The Vibes, October 16, 2020
