Kuala Lumpur: Umno’s Gua Musang MP Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said he wanted a guarantee that a no-confidence motion could be tabled against the Prime Minister in the coming Dewan Rakyat sitting, following the failure of its Speaker to do so in the past sitting.
In the September 26 dated letter sighted by Malay Mail, Tengku Razaleigh had asked Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun why the no-confidence motion was not debated in the Dewan Rakyat during the previous Parliament sessions between July 13 until August 27.
“The no-confidence motion is important based on constitutional factors, including the legitimacy of the current government under the Prime Minister’s leadership.
“If the motion is supported by the majority of Members of Parliament and based on constitutional factors must be presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for consideration.
“I believe that the motion should have been debated in the Dewan Rakyat as a matter of importance with utmost priorities for the current government to prove its legitimacy in Parliament,” the MP, also known as Ku Li, said in the letter.
In the letter, Tengku Razaleigh also cited Article 43 of the Federal Constitution which states that a sitting Prime Minister must obtain the confidence of the Dewan Rakyat as a prerequisite for him to officially helm the post.
“Without the confidence of the Dewan Rakyat, the Prime Minister has no right to claim legitimacy and sidestepping the fact can be construed as a form of bad intention and falsehood towards the Constitution.
“Therefore, all executions of governmental affairs must be based on the prerequisite that the Prime Minister has the support of the Dewan Rakyat,” he said.
Tengku Razaleigh also said there was no provision in the Standing Orders that could prevent said motions from being debated in the Dewan Rakyat.
Separately, Tengku Razaleigh also said he was offered the adviser post in Petronas by the Prime Minister to which he rejected.
“Political bribery has eroded our constitutional democracy. I am worried and concerned that our constitutional democracy will face concealed forms of political bribery.
“I am stating my concerns in writing because I am worried that the oath of undertaking taken by the respective members of parliament is disregarded.
“As the Yang di-Pertua Dewan Rakyat, Datuk is bound to the oath of undertaking and is obligated to uphold our Constitution,” he said, referring to Azhar.
Subsequent to Tengku Razaleigh’s letter, Azhar replied the veteran politician in another letter dated September 29.
In Azhar’s reply, he said he has no objection to Tengku Razaleigh’s suggestion for the motions to be tabled in the next Parliament sitting if government matters or Minister’s motion are concluded beforehand.
This, he said, was stated in Standing Order 15(1) where it is stated that government business shall have precedence over Private Members business on every sitting day.
“In the event that there are still government matters at hand and Tan Sri would like to give priority to specific Private Member’s Motions, then it is advised that Tan Sri negotiate with minister Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan to do so,” he said, referring to the de facto law minister.
“As stated beforehand, all my decisions as Yang di-Pertua regard the prioritisation of motions must first fulfill the provisions in the Standing Orders.
He also dismissed the claims that the no-confidence motion was not debated in the Dewan Rakyat because it was listed towards the end of the Order Paper as alleged.
He clarified that said motions were already in the Order Paper, but government matters must be given priority as stated in the Standing Orders.
Previously, Langkawi MP Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad also published his proposed motion of no-confidence against Muhyiddin on his personal blog back in September.
The former Prime Minister said the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government had twice refused to debate the motion by placing it at the end of the day’s proceedings, making it difficult, due to time constraints, to table the motion.
Muhyiddin, the current president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, was appointed as the country’s eighth Prime Minister after a week of turmoil that followed the collapse of a PH government that had won the 2018 general election.
This comes as Muhyiddin faces a challenge from PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who had met the Agong this week to prove he has the support of the majority of the Dewan Rakyat.
Umno has also said it is considering withdrawing its support for the PN pact and will push instead for the effort to register its alliance with Islamist party PAS, Muafakat Nasional, to be registered as an official political entity.
Meanwhile, Tengku Razaleigh was summoned for an audience with the Agong in his capacity as the longest serving MP.
Tengku Razaleigh political secretary Mohd Lokman Ghani said the audience was granted as His Majesty wanted to hear Ku Li’s opinion on the current political situation in the country.
“It was a four-eyed meeting, for Tengku Razaleigh to share his views with the King. That’s all I know.
“Tengku Razaleigh was summoned for a royal audience on his capacity as the most experienced and most matured leader in the country’s politics, and also as the individual who has served with all Prime Ministers of Malaysia,” he said.
Mohd Lokman also said that the meeting had nothing to do with 83-year-old politician’s post as Umno Advisory Council chairman or as the party’s representative.
Earlier, Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was also granted an audience with the King after claiming to have secured the support of more than 120 MPs to form a new government.
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