KUALA LUMPUR – In the context of the political landscape in the country, things can change very rapidly.
Just a month ago, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had some peace of mind that his position as prime minister was safe and sound, thanks to the state of emergency that was declared in January.
As a result, Parliament was suspended, effectively preventing any move to challenge his majority support in the Dewan Rakyat, which has been a matter of heavy debate since he ascended to Putrajaya’s top seat.
The Bersatu president also secured the backing of three former PKR MPs – ostensibly to shore up his support in Parliament – which many claimed was done under contentious circumstances.
However, with the clock running out of time – the emergency is scheduled to end on August 1 – and pressure piling on for the immediate reconvening of Parliament by the royal household, Muhyiddin has never been in a more undesirable position.
His days as prime minister may be numbered, especially if speculations of Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s plan to withdraw Umno’s support from the Perikatan Nasional government in the coming weeks are to be believed.
Unconfirmed reports have it that Zahid has collected about 30 signatures from the 47 Umno Supreme Council members to pull the plug on PN soon, as per the resolution passed at the party’s general assembly in March.
A 14-day ultimatum issued by the Umno president for Parliament to sit immediately also ended yesterday – taking into account the date that the demand was announced, on June 21.
If Zahid does pull his party out of the alliance with PN, it will effectively mean the end of the road for Muhyiddin as far as his headship is concerned.
Article 43(4) of the federal constitution stipulates that the prime minister must either tender the resignation of his cabinet or request the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament if he ceases to command the majority confidence of the House.
As things stand, Umno MPs account for the largest portion of PN and PN-friendly lawmakers, with 38 out of the 115 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, although one (Machang MP Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub) already withdrew his support for the prime minister on January 9.
Umno’s Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz had similarly pulled his backing on January 11, but repledged his allegiance last Friday.
This puts Muhyiddin on a slim majority, with the support of only 114 out of 220 MPs today – the Batu Sapi and Gerik seats are vacant following the deaths of their incumbents.
All that is required now is for four MPs to declare their non-support for the embattled prime minister for a hung Parliament, and five MPs for his stint as the head of administration to come to a premature end.
Even if Muhyiddin devises a move to get the majority of Umno lawmakers to switch allegiance and declare support for him, it will not likely make any meaningful difference.
If rumours are to be believed, more than 20 Umno MPs, mostly with government positions, are said to be holding discussions over their next potential move.
The party has nine ministerial posts and eight deputy ministers (one is a senator), while 10 others are chairmen of government-linked companies.
A number of these Umno lawmakers are said to hold the belief that Parliament must not be dissolved and elections must not be called as long as Covid-19 is still widespread.
However, if the party is to act on the mandate given by delegates during its annual meet some three months ago, then Malaysians may soon find themselves heading out to cast their ballots, despite the high daily Covid-19 numbers. – The Vibes, July 5, 2021
