[UPDATED] Toppling unity govt no child’s play: Tok Mat

KUALA LUMPUR – Any attempt to topple the unity government will not come easy, according to Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, citing the anti-hopping law and the two-third majority the federal administration currently enjoys.

This comes in light of speculations of fresh political plot by Perikatan Nasional (PN) to unseat Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the prime minister and form a new government.

Mohamad, who is defence minister, added that he is also unaware if any of the Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs are involved in the plot, but said any decision will ultimately be up to the respective lawmakers. 

“The anti-hopping law is already in force…you can’t simply walk away and support other parties. That’s against the law,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Defence Ministry’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house, here, today. 

“You will have to resign, and once you do that, it will be quite difficult (to win the seat back).

“So it is up to them.

“But it’s also worth pointing out that the government today has 148 seats. It will be quite difficult to topple.”

Mohamad stressed that it is better for all quarters to “put their heads together” in helping to manage the country, for the sake of the rakyat.

Last week, The Vibes had reported that there is a purported fresh plot by PN to unseat Anwar by way of forcing by-elections. 

A source close to the matter said the plan is being manoeuvred by PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and other coalition big wigs, and involves “persuading” at least a dozen BN lawmakers to vacate their seats and force a by-election, and then re-contesting under the PN banner. 

The move would also require persuading Sabah and Sarawak parties to shift their support away from Anwar. 

Yesterday, Bersatu supreme council member Muhammad Faiz Na’aman posted a veiled comment on his Facebook saying, “It’s 126 already. If true, alhamdulillah” in what appears to be an indication of current support for PN. 

In a separate post, Faiz uploaded a conversation with a member of the press who had asked him if the opposition is confident of coming to power before the term ends, to which he replied: “Yes, we are, God-willing”.

Meanwhile, Mohamad expressed BN’s continued full support for the unity government, saying it has always been the coalition’s stand over the past few years to ensure political stability can be returned to the country.

“We don’t have any plan to destabilise the government, because that has been our promise during the general election, and even in previous state and by-elections, that we need stability for prosperity. 

“We need a strong and stable government to manage the country,” he said. 

Mohamad added that the coalition of parties in the government today have agreed to work together to ensure the administration of the country is given priority. 

“We are behind by five years after what happened following the 14th general election. This is a functional government.”

He said the government's focus now is to ensure all the election promises made before the federal polls last November can be delivered, and that the national congress involving all the government parties on May 14 is held for this reason. 

Meanwhile, PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, when asked about the postings made by Faiz, said: “I wish him the best of luck.” – The Vibes, May 2, 2023