The implications of Umno’s “no confidence motion” against the PM
Today’s event is not surprising or unexpected. They have been talking about this since last year. It is like a husband and wife no longer sleeping in the same bed and meeting other partners for sex every night. A divorce would no longer be “if” but “when”. And it is good that this happens so that it can be tested whether Anwar really does have the “numbers” he keeps talking about.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Article 43(1)(a): The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall first appoint as Prime Minister to preside over the Cabinet a member of the House of Representatives who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the Members of that House.
Article 43(4): If the Prime Minister ceases to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the House of Representatives, then, unless at his request the Yang di- Pertuan Agong dissolves Parliament, the Prime Minister shall tender the resignation of the Cabinet.
Article 40(2)(b): The Yang di-Pertuan Agong may act in his discretion in the withholding of consent to a request for the dissolution of Parliament.
Article 55(2): The Yang di-Pertuan Agong may prorogue or dissolve Parliament.
Article 55(4) Whenever Parliament is dissolved a general election shall be held within sixty days from the date of the dissolution and Parliament shall be summoned to meet on a date not later than one hundred and twenty days from that date.
READ THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION (PERLEMBAGAAN PERSEKUTUAN) OF MALAYSIA HERE:
ENGLISH: https://www.malaysia-today.net/files/Federal-Constitution.pdf
BAHASA MALAYSIA: https://www.malaysia-today.net/files/Perlembagaan-Persekutuan.pdf
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Pakatan Harapan’s propaganda team is telling their supporters that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has fallen, and that Anwar Ibrahim is going to be sworn in as the new Prime Minister or PM9 any minute now.
It is not as simple as that. First, it must be proven that Muhyiddin has lost his majority in Parliament. And that needs to be done in Parliament, not at Dataran Merdeka. But Parliament will not be sitting until September, so they will need to wait till then to prove it.
Once it is proven that Muhyiddin has lost his majority, he then either tenders the resignation of the entire Cabinet, or he requests that Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong consent to the dissolution of Parliament.
The Agong may or may not consent to the dissolution of Parliament. It is the Agong’s discretion.
If the Agong consents to the dissolution of Parliament, then GE15 must be held within 60 days. If the Agong does not consent to the dissolution of Parliament, what happens next?
Next would be the Agong will need to appoint a new Prime Minister who in His Majesty’s judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the Members of Parliament.
And this is where it starts to become tricky.
Step 1 (motion of no confidence against PM) is possible. Step 2 (get the Agong to deny consent to dissolve Parliament to make way for GE15) is possible. Step 3 (ask Muhyiddin Yassin to resign) is possible. But step 4 (replace him with a new PM) is not that easy. Who after Muhyiddin has that majority in Parliament?
Anwar Ibrahim? Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad? Shafie Apdal? Ismail Sabri Yaakob? Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah? Hishammuddin Tun Hussein? Najib Tun Razak? Ahmad Zahid Hamidi? Who?
Before step 1, 2 and 3 can be executed, they need to resolve step 4 first because that is what is going to be the party-pooper. It would be like jumping out of the plane before it blows up but forgetting to wear your parachute. How can dying by hitting the ground be better than dying in an explosion?
Anyway, today’s event is not surprising or unexpected. They have been talking about this since last year. It is like a husband and wife no longer sleeping in the same bed and meeting other partners for sex every night. A divorce would no longer be “if” but “when”. And it is good that this happens so that it can be tested whether Anwar really does have the “numbers” he keeps talking about.
