KUALA LUMPUR – Istana Negara has reportedly asked the Dewan Rakyat speaker to disclose the number of parliamentarians who support Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
According to Malaysiakini, the comptroller of the royal household had sent a letter on the matter to Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun on Monday.
A source told the news site that the letter, which has been making the rounds, is authentic.
The report said Azhar had, in a letter dated August 3, revealed that support for Muhyiddin stands at 106 parliamentarians.
However, the number fell by two after two Umno cabinet members resigned from their posts.
“The palace has also been informed that four members of the Dewan Negara had changed their stance and support the prime minister,” the letter read.
However, the letter said there was no official report given by Azhar on the matter.
“In relation to this, Istana Negara requests the latest report on the number of Dewan Rakyat members who support the prime minister to be presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for further action.”
The letter, signed by Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, asked Azhar to answer the letter by Tuesday.
This comes after more than a dozen Umno MPs withdrew their support for the prime minister last week, effectively causing him to lose majority support in Parliament.
Yesterday, The Vibes had reported that Muhyiddin’s audience with the king yesterday morning saw His Majesty expressing his view on support for the former among MPs.
The Agong is said to be under pressure to remove Muhyiddin now, but faces the challenge of identifying a new prime minister, with no one MP appearing to have adequate support to form the next government. – The Vibes, August 12, 2021