KUALA LUMPUR – Did Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin mislead the Yang di-Pertuan Agong when he said he had the numbers to take over the government following the “Sheraton Move” in late February that led to the Pakatan Harapan administration’s collapse?
Political veteran and Gua Musang MP Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah alluded to this when talking about the political coup that saw the end of the 18-month-old PH government.
The Agong, said Tengku Razaleigh, exercised his prerogative duties and power.
However, he said, the person appointed by the king must show that he has the confidence of Parliament.
“That can only be shown if he (Muhyiddin) can demonstrate in the House of Representatives that he indeed has the confidence of the people present and voting. But was he telling His Majesty the truth, that he does indeed have this majority behind him?
“I don’t think you want to dance around the numbers – if you have the numbers, show it, shame the devil and have it tested. It is a democracy. No one should be lying to anybody, worst of all to the king, who believes in you,” the former finance minister told The Vibes in an interview published on Sunday.
The Dewan seating indicates that Muhyiddin has 113 MPs in support of him, while the opposition bloc led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has 109.
However, in the July 13 vote to remove speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof, he scraped by with 111 votes to 109 against.
Tengku Razaleigh said he was surprised with the formulation of Perikatan Nasional and shocked by the coalition’s formation, claiming it was never discussed with anyone.
“I was surprised there was a body called PN. It was never discussed by anyone. Suddenly, this name came up and a new government was formed, labelled PN. I don’t know where it came from, what the objectives are, what the composition of PN is.”
He went further to question the legitimacy of the PN administration, saying the regime will not go far because the people do not support it.
Tengku Razaleigh pointed to PN’s antics behind the scenes, especially with regard to the September 26 Sabah election and how candidates from the coalition were made to pit against one another.
“Look at what happened in Sabah – there should not have been a state election, but the election in the state was more or less forced onto that government in the midst of this Covid-19 pandemic.
“During the election, everyone was free to go there to ensure Bersatu wins the election. They even fielded candidates against our candidates, though we gave them support and help, even stole our seats. What kind of politics is this?” – The Vibes, December 1, 2020
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