KUALA LUMPUR – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has put to rest any confusion over Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) direction after the 15th general election, confirming today that the coalition will remain as the opposition.
He said this in his second statement for the day, after his earlier one merely said PN would play the role of check and balance on the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led government of several coalitions.
“PN thanks Anwar for the offer to join the unity government led by him. However, we have taken the stand not to enter the PH-led government,” the PN chairman said.
“PN will play the role of a credible opposition, to carry the voice of the rakyat in Parliament as well as ensuring a government of integrity that is free of corruption.”
Muhyiddin, who is also Bersatu president, said PN decided to remain the opposition in the spirit of fostering democracy.
However, he said the coalition as the opposition bloc is also open to considering other forms of cooperation with the government.
“For the sake of the people’s welfare and ensuring political stability, PN is prepared to discuss other forms of cooperation with the government, within the scope of government-opposition relationship,” he said.
This comes after PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in his first press conference yesterday, said he was prepared to accept PN to be part of the unity government that was proposed by the king.
Muhyiddin’s reference to other forms of cooperation within a government-opposition frameworks alludes to arrangements similar to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government led by Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and PH, prior to the dissolution of Parliament.
The MoU, also called a confidence-and-supply agreement (CSA) by some, saw Ismail Sabri’s government executing certain legal reforms as well as equal funding allocations for all constituencies, in exchange for PH’s support for his government.
Muhyiddin’s earlier statement stopped short of confirming if PN would remain as the opposition.
His confirmation now means Anwar’s government has a two-thirds majority in Parliament with 148 MPs, while the opposition has 73.
Anwar was sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister yesterday, ending close to a week of political impasse, after none of the major coalitions secured the necessary support of 112 MPs to form the government.
Muhyiddin had rejected the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s proposal for PN to form a unity government with PH, saying it was not willing to work with the Anwar-led coalition.
Yesterday, Muhyiddin also challenged Anwar to prove his support, insisting that PN still had statutory declarations from 115 MPs.
Responding to this, Anwar said he would convene Parliament on December 19, with a vote of confidence as the first order of business. – The Vibes, November 25, 2022
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