Malaysian politics heats up with Mahathir’s no-confidence vote against Muhyiddin‘s ‘back-door government’
- Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional alliance rose to power in the political turmoil that followed Mahathir Mohamad’s shock February resignation
- It holds a precarious majority in Malaysia’s 222-member parliament, but observers warn against toppling it without a long-term plan
Mahathir, however, has conceded that he does not believe he has the numbers required to command the majority support of parliament, claiming that Muhyiddin had won over supporters by giving them government roles. “Maybe we will lose because what he has done may also be considered sogokan (bribes), because they were given ministers and deputy ministers’ posts,” he said.
Mahathir, who was also prime minister from 1981 to 2003, said that while the motion may not be debated he felt it was “important that a public statement be made – so that the people will be aware that there is such an opinion”. The motion, which was sent on Monday and states that Muhyiddin does not command the majority of the lower decision-making house, has been approved, Speaker of the House Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof confirmed in a statement on Friday.
Even with the speaker’s approval, however, it remains to be seen whether the motion will be heard at the one-day sitting. It is thought that standard parliamentary procedure will be deviated from for the session, so that none of the usual questions and motions will be heard, with only government bills to be discussed after the king’s opening speech. Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan earlier told local media that government business would be prioritised during the sitting, with any undiscussed matters being carried forward to the next sitting in July.
