KUALA LUMPUR – Perikatan Nasional (PN) did not request for a bloc vote in the motion of confidence on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday as the opposition did not want the prime minister’s two-thirds support to be on the record, according to a PKR’s R. Sivarasa.
In a series of tweets today, he noted how PN had decided against calling for a bloc vote, also known as “division” voting in which individual ballots are counted, which he said could only be requested by those opposing a motion.
The former PKR vice-president and Sg Buloh MP said it was clear from an earlier vote to elect the new Dewan Rakyat Speaker yesterday that the opposition would only receive the support of 74 lawmakers.
This would mean that the votes in support of the prime minister would be 148, which is two-thirds of the lower house, he pointed out.
“When the vote for the Speaker happened, one of the government MPs from Sarawak had not arrived yet, and so the speaker Datuk Johari Abdul received 147 votes. She arrived at about 11am. For the vote of confidence, she would have made it 148.
“The opposition tactically did not want this number of votes of 148, a two-third majority to be on the record. Hence, they did not call for a division, which only they could do.”
For the record, however, Standing Order 46(4) of the Dewan Rakyat stipulates that any member of the house may call for a division, although at least 15 MPs must be in support of bloc voting for it to happen.
Sivarasa said the opposition had decided to leave the motion of confidence to a simple voice vote, meaning it was passed without having to count ballots.
“We need to understand parliamentary procedure to understand why the opposition did what they did,” he said.
Typically, bloc voting is held in a motion of confidence to determine the exact number of support for the prime minister, and to allay any questions about his legitimacy.
Immediately after the vote yesterday, PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan in a press conference chided government lawmakers for not asking for a bloc vote. He said Anwar’s exact numbers in Parliament will now remain unknown.
When asked why the opposition lawmakers did not ask for a bloc vote, Takiyuddin explained that it was not PN’s responsibility to do so.
“We did not ask because we are not voting on it but they didn’t ask either. We do not know why they didn’t ask,” he said.
Today, Anwar clarified that his decision to move a motion of confidence stems from the challenge made by PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on November 24, after Istana Negara announced Anwar as prime minister. – The Vibes, December 20, 2022
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