[UPDATED] Vote of confidence to allow governing with clear mandate: Anwar

PUTRAJAYA – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stated that the scheduled motion of confidence in Parliament will allow him to lead the country with a clear mandate based on the support of the majority of MPs.

Bernama reported him as saying that the matter was clarified during his recent audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

“From a legal aspect, it isn’t needed. The attorney-general (AG) has also said that it isn’t needed because of the clear majority and the powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong are also clear.

“The king took the views of the AG into consideration and asked whether I felt, as prime minister, a vote of confidence was needed as the numbers were clear, as with the declarations from Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN), Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and several other smaller parties.

“I replied: Ampun Tuanku, this is not about only regulations and law. The matter has been brought up and I would like to lead the country with a clear mandate, the support of the majority of MPs. I am confident of obtaining it. If I can’t, then I will accept the will of the people,” he said.

Anwar made these remarks during his speech at a programme with Muslim preachers at Seri Perdana, Putrajaya here, which was also attended by Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar.

Anwar said the king, along with the other Malay rulers, also played a role according to the federal constitution in resolving the uncertainty following the 15th general election (GE15) even though some questions were raised by certain parties.

He said Their Majesties managed to meet him and stated from the onset that they did not dispute that whichever party had the most seats would be given priority and the mandate to govern the country.

“Then there were some secondary efforts in obtaining statutory declarations and this occurred within the period set by the king, until 2pm. So, the total obtained was decided by the time period.

“As in any race, he can overtake us in the first turn. We can cut him off at the third turn. What’s important is the finish line. It’s obvious I obtained the bigger total because those who provided their SDs previously withdrew before 2pm,” Anwar explained.

Anwar said he chose to explain the situation after being asked by Al-Sultan Abdullah to avoid any confusion among Malaysians, especially in matters that could affect the standing of the Malay rulers.

The confidence vote on Anwar’s leadership will be one of the main items during the first session of the first term of the 15th Parliament of Malaysia, scheduled to take place for two days from December 19.

Based on the first meeting’s notice issued by Dewan Rakyat secretary Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin for distribution among MPs, the motion of confidence regarding the prime minister was item number eight in the meeting order.

In his maiden media conference after taking his oath as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister on November 24, Anwar said a confidence vote would be tabled at the parliamentary sitting on December 19 to put an end to any doubts on him being prime minister. 

Allocations to be examined at Finance Ministry tomorrow

Anwar also stressed that the mandate for him to lead the nation came amid a situation where the national debt has exceeded RM1 trillion.

He stressed that this is a fact and is not meant to discredit any party, adding that leakages have been detected following investigations on various agencies.

“I am working hard to examine the files, which is why some projects have been delayed, re-examined or cancelled,” he was quoted as saying by Getaran, the Malay-language sister portal of The Vibes.

“I do not mean to demean any political figure. I have not mentioned any names.

“I mentioned the flood mitigation project, because floods have tormented the people…the victims are the poor, and the majority of them are Malays,” he added.

Anwar said that he will pursue the issue further when he goes to the Finance Ministry tomorrow.

Anwar had ordered the discontinuation of a few flood mitigation projects worth RM7 billion, which he stated had involved approval through direct negotiations under the previous government.

He explained that although the projects were approved, they were not implemented yet due to the general election that took place last month.

He added that ministry officials have been asked to re-examine the approvals given to ensure that they comply with the principles of transparency and set regulations.

Last Thursday, former environment and water minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had insisted that he never signed any letter of acceptance to any company regarding flood mitigation projects.

He also questioned the RM7 billion allocation to be reviewed by the present government, saying that the original allocation was RM15 billion. – The Vibes, December 11, 2022