PETALING JAYA: In the previous few weeks, a rising variety of opposition MPs have been throwing their help behind Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his unity authorities.
So far, 4 Bersatu MPs have shifted their allegiances: Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang) and Zahari Kechik (Jeli).
eNM appears to be like at the alternative ways MPs can pledge help for the prime minister, why these Bersatu MPs are backing the present administration, and the significance of a two-thirds parliamentary majority.
Anwar’s help
Anwar’s unity authorities initially had a two-thirds majority however misplaced it when Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman withdrew his help in September, citing dissatisfaction over the conditional discharge granted to deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi from 47 prison prices he was going through.
That left Anwar with the help of 147 of 222 MPs in the decrease home, comprising MPs from Pakatan Harapan (81), Barisan Nasional (30), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (23), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (six), Warisan (three), Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (two), Parti Bangsa Malaysia (one) and one unbiased candidate.
The inclusion of the 4 Bersatu MPs is about to take the unity authorities above the two-thirds majority threshold as soon as once more.
What constitutes help for the prime minister?
Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs stated the most definitive means for an MP to declare help for the prime minister is by voting “sure” in a vote of confidence.
“Support for a prime minister by an MP can be expressed by voting for the price range as tabled by the authorities of the day,” he instructed eNM.
Oh stated whereas public declarations and the signing of statutory declarations can also suffice, such expressions of help could be simply rescinded.
“(SDs) could solely be legitimate at the occasion they’re signed or made, not earlier than or after. They (MPs) might change their minds a second afterwards. So this form of help is definitely fairly fragile,” he stated.
Why the 4 now help Anwar
The 4 Bersatu MPs stated they determined to again the authorities for the sake of their constituents and to make sure continued growth of their constituencies.
Currently, every of the authorities’s 147 MPs is allotted growth funds of RM1.3 million a yr, an quantity a number of instances increased than the allocation for opposition MPs.
Some opposition MPs say they haven’t obtained any allocations from the unity authorities since it got here into energy final December.
In the previous, particularly throughout Barisan Nasional’s lengthy stint in authorities, opposition MPs both obtained minimal allocations or none in any respect.
During the PH administration, authorities MPs might apply for as much as RM3.5 million yearly whereas the allocation for opposition MPs was capped at RM100,000. This disparity continued beneath Perikatan Nasional.
It was solely throughout Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s tenure as prime minister that opposition MPs got equal allocations, following a memorandum of understanding signed between his coalition and PH, which was then in the opposition.
What can a prime minister do with a two-thirds majority?
Constitutional skilled Wan Ahmad Fauzi Wan Husain stated securing a two-thirds majority is essential, as it not solely strengthens a authorities’s place but additionally facilitates constitutional amendments.
Article 159(3) of the Federal Constitution mandates {that a} two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat is required to amend provisions which concern state borders, the particular place of Bumiputeras, faith, citizenship and the powers given to the Conference of Rulers.
“However, Article 159(5) has imposed a stricter qualification for the modification of the primary construction of our Federal Constitution. (It) states that the amendments shall not be handed with out the consent of the Conference of Rulers.”
Consequences and criticisms
As Iskandar Zulkarnian and Suhaili have found, backing the authorities as an opposition member carries with it the threat of suspension and lack of get together positions.
The switching of help by the 4 MPs has additionally sparked varied reactions from NGOs and MPs, significantly those that have repeatedly referred to as for equal allocations.
Electoral reform group Bersih stated the determination by the 4 opposition MPs to again the present authorities confirmed the nation’s “tragic political actuality”, the place the desperation for growth funds is able to swaying political allegiance.
Government backbenchers, together with Julau MP Larry Sng and Semporna MP Shafie Apdal, have expressed disappointment that MPs have needed to resort to such measures to safe allocations.
Meanwhile, Bersatu stated the anti-hopping regulation must be reviewed as current occasions have revealed “flaws” in the current provision.
However, in keeping with ex-MP Khairy Jamaluddin, the opposition get together solely has itself responsible for its predicament.
He stated the get together’s MPs had opposed a provision in the authentic draft that will have declared a seat vacant if an MP went towards his get together’s stance or didn’t comply with the orders of his get together whip when voting in the Dewan Rakyat.
