KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's already slim grip on power is showing signs of slipping after an MP from his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia appeared to desert him on Wednesday (May 13), claiming that the party is on the path to irrelevance.
This came on the same day that the Speaker confirmed that Tan Sri Muhyiddin instructed Parliament to end proceedings on Monday once the King completes his opening speech, meaning it will not hear rival and predecessor Mahathir Mohamad's no-confidence motion in the premier. Parliament will only resume on July 13.
Former education minister Maszlee Malik, who penned a scathing essay on Facebook, is supposed to be one of just 113 MPs sitting on the government bench in the federal legislature, where 112 is needed for a simple majority. But leading figures on both sides of the divide have acknowledged that "he is with Tun Mahathir".
Dr Mahathir's motion was accepted by Parliament last week, although it was unlikely to be tabled on Monday as other government and parliamentary business will take precedence. But even these matters - which were initially listed when a notice was sent out to MPs on April 17 - were cancelled on Wednesday.
In a video message late on Wednesday, Dr Mahathir, who claimed he had the backing of 113 colleagues when Mr Muhyiddin took office on March 1, challenged the legitimacy of the two-month-old Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
"He was sworn in as prime minister on the basis of having the majority support. This can be determined by the House. The truth is, there is no support for Tan Sri Muhyiddin as prime minister," the 94-year-old said.
Analysts see an increasing risk of the Muhyiddin administration collapsing the longer there is a lack of clarity on his majority.
"There is a limit to how long he can delay demonstrating his parliamentary support, otherwise doubts over whether his government is functional will grow," risk consultancy Eurasia Group's Asia director Peter Mumford told The Straits Times.
Mr Maszlee echoed in his post the same rationale put forward by Dr Mahathir's son Mukhriz a fortnight ago: Their Bersatu party has a brighter future as the leading party of the Malay majority with Pakatan Harapan (PH).
The coalition - ousted in February just 21 months after ending Umno's six-decade rule since independence at the 2018 election - handed Bersatu chairman Mahathir the premiership and his Cabinet had an outsized representation from his party, which also boasted three chief ministers despite not being the largest PH component in those states.
"If Bersatu follows the same path, and mixes with those of a political culture that we once swore to fight against... is Bersatu's identity still relevant, which is to be an alternative for Malays and replace Umno?" said the Simpang Renggam MP, who last weekend also rejected the chairmanship of a government agency.
The Muhyiddin administration has dished out positions at the head of various state arms and government-linked companies to several MPs even as it seeks to quieten grumbles within PN, largely from biggest member Umno, over the spoils of victory. Umno has also been reluctant to formalise PN as a coalition, as it believes its partnership with the Islamist Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) will triumph in the next election - at the expense of Bersatu and other Malay-based parties - especially if snap polls are held.
This comes on the back of Bersatu looking set to cede the Kedah chief ministership to PAS, as it did in Johor to Umno soon after Mr Muhyiddin succeeded Dr Mahathir as premier.
Datuk Seri Mukhriz lost the majority in the Kedah state assembly on Tuesday after four Bersatu assemblymen withdrew support for him. PN had allowed him to continue as Kedah chief minister with the backing of PH in the past two months as Mr Muhyiddin held out hope of reconciliation with Dr Mahathir.
But hopes of bridging the divide appear to have evaporated in recent weeks as gloves have come off for the two heavyweights.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMifWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vYXNpYS9zZS1hc2lhL21hbGF5c2lhLXBtLW11aHlpZGRpbi15YXNzaW4taW4tZmlyaW5nLWxpbmUtb3Zlci1sYWNrLW9mLWNsYXJpdHktb24taGlzLW1ham9yaXR5LWlu0gEA?oc=5
2020-05-14 09:37:51Z
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