‘End of efforts to topple unity govt’

November 10, 2023

‘End of efforts to topple unity govt’

PETALING JAYA: Talk that the unity government will not serve out its full term – that there will be a Sheraton Move 2.0 – has haunted the administration ever since it was first formed in December last year.

But analysts say that the recent actions of four Opposition MPs who pledged their support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim have thrown a wrench in those plans as the government now has a stronger two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

‘End of efforts to topple unity govt’ — Switching aisles: (From left) Iskandar, Suhaili, Mohd Azizi and Zahari.

However, the careers of the four MPs – Kuala Kangsar, Labuan, Gua Musang and Jeli – may not continue into a second term as they will likely be dropped by their party Bersatu before the 16th General Election, due in 2028.

“They will be able to fulfil their duties as parliamentarians and their constituents will reap the benefits of development funds but their future careers as politicians are in doubt,” said Hisomuddin Bakar of the Ilham Centre, a think tank.

“Their actions will now end the narrative of ‘tebuk atap’ (breaking and entering) which is still going on,” said Hisomuddin, referring to the Bahasa Malaysia term that has come to signify plots to overthrow governments.

This was because the actions of the four will likely weaken morale and the momentum in Perikatan Nasional to topple the administration since it is the Opposition bloc that is losing support among its MPs, said Hisomuddin.

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“There’s also going to be finger-pointing about who was behind all of this and the blame game will weaken solidarity in Bersatu and the Opposition as a whole.”

In March, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang admitted that the party and partners in Perikatan, which includes Bersatu, is working to topple the unity government.

Since then, variations of this conspiracy have surfaced and involved persuading parties from Barisan Nasional and coalitions from Sarawak and Sabah to ditch Pakatan Harapan – which Anwar leads – in favour of Perikatan.

Last month, Umno leader Datuk Dr Puad Zarkashi warned that the plot to overthrow the government was still ongoing.

Political scientist Prof Mazlan Ali said the shift in support from the four showed that even some members of Perikatan want political stability.

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“It shows that they want the Prime Minister to focus on governing and their actions will put an end to rumours of Anwar’s administration being toppled,” said Mazlan of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid and Labuan MP Datuk Dr Suhaili Abdul Rahman have been suspended by their party, but are thus far still able to keep their seats in the Dewan Rakyat.

They were suspended by Bersatu after they announced that they would support Anwar’s efforts to revive the economy and for extra development funds for their constituencies.

Bersatu has indicated that similar punishments will be meted out to Gua Musang MP Mohd Azizi Abu Naim and Jeli MP Zahari Kechik for also supporting the unity government.

Although the four have stated that they remain loyal to Bersatu, Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said they have requested that their seats be moved from their current section.

With the shift in support, the unity government effectively has 151 seats, giving it a super-majority in the House, said UTM’s Mazlan.

This will bolster the unity government’s ability to pass difficult reforms, such as separating the Attorney General’s Chambers from the office of the Public Prosecutor, which require amending the Constitution.

“Their decision shows that the four are confident in the policies and reforms being brought by the government.

“They will likely support Budget 2024 and other government policies,” said Mazlan.