PH urges MPs to rally behind Anwar

Top Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders today urged MPs to rally behind PKR president Anwar Ibrahim as the prime ministerial candidate to form a new majority in Parliament, maintaining that Muhyiddin Yassin had lost the support of the majority.

“For the sake of the future of the people and the nation, all parties who oppose Muhyiddin should come to the negotiating table to form a government that is inclusive, just and progressive where each party is treated fairly,” the top three leaders of the coalition said in a statement.

Reiterating the support of the PH Presidential Council for Anwar as the candidate for prime minister, they said they were against the holding of any general election during the pandemic period.

“Remember that the last session of the 14th Parliament will only end on July 16, 2023.

“Therefore, we urge all MPs who oppose and reject Muhyiddin Yassin to together support Anwar as the prime ministerial candidate to prove their support and form a new majority,” they said in a statement issued by Anwar, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

Their statement came ahead of the confidence vote in Muhyiddin scheduled for Sept 7.

Anwar, his Umno counterpart Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former leader Najib Razak have been at the forefront of efforts to topple Muhyiddin since last year.

Their efforts gathered momentum recently with a call by Zahid on Cabinet ministers from his party to quit the government. Both Zahid and Najib say they have mustered the support of about 15 MPs from Umno.

The PH leaders meanwhile said it was common knowledge that Muhyiddin only had the support of 100 MPs.

“Yet he refuses to resign honourably in line with Article 43 (4) of the Federal Constitution,” they said.

“It is crucial that all parties unite under a people-centred government that can correct all of the failures and shortcomings of Perikatan Nasional ahead of the confidence vote in the prime minister.”

MalaysiaNow reported earlier this week that a plan by PKR leaders to submit Anwar to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as their prime ministerial candidate had to be shelved after they failed to show that he had the majority support of MPs.

It was instead agreed that they would focus on MPs who were against Muhyiddin.

This was because opposition blocs outside of the PH coalition which have also demanded for Muhyiddin’s resignation are against any attempt to name Anwar as prime minister.