SHAH ALAM – Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has hinted at the possibility of Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs offering their support for him to be the next prime minister.
Muhyiddin, who has claimed to have enough backing from lawmakers to form the government, was responding to BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's statement that his coalition is not in talks with PN.
Citing the federal constitution, the Bersatu president said a person who wishes to be the prime minister only needs to have the backing of enough MPs, and that the law made no mention of political parties.
“If there are MPs who decide to support me among them, that is their right. This is based on the constitution,” he told reporters after chairing Bersatu’s Supreme Council meeting, here, late last night.
“The constitution merely says that to be a prime minister, one only has to have the confidence of the majority MPs. By definition, that's 112 seats.
“It doesn’t mention whether the MPs have to come from parties A, B or C. That is just Zahid’s view.”
Muhyiddin was asked to comment on how PN intends to form the government if it does not have the support of BN’s 30 lawmakers, which is needed for the coalition to pass the required threshold of MPs to enter Putrajaya.
In a statement earlier, under-fire Umno president Zahid had rubbished suggestions that BN is negotiating with PN and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to form a new government.
He also reminded all BN MPs of an “Aku Janji” (oath) they signed, giving him the mandate and authority to decide which political alliances to form post-election.
“In this regard, any MPs who defy the party’s order will result in them losing their party membership, and subsequently their parliamentary seat. This is in line with Parliament’s anti-party hopping law," Zahid had said.
Muhyiddin, however, dismissed Zahid’s interpretation of the law, insisting that the anti-hopping provision does not prohibit MPs from throwing their support to a prime minister from another party.
“(Even now), not all (MPs who support me) come from PN. (What about) GPS? Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)? Independents?
“And it doesn’t infringe on the provisions of the anti-hopping law, as they are not quitting their party.
“It’s just that they, as individual MPs – regardless of where they are from – have expressed their support for me. So, it is not an offence in terms of the anti-party hopping law.”
Muhyiddin, who was the country’s eighth prime minister, said he had obtained the backing of GRS, GPS and “other MPs”, but stopped short of revealing which parties the latter are from. – The Vibes, November 21, 2022
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