Bersatu dismisses claims of opposition having numbers to challenge Anwar Ibrahim

Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) has dismissed claims that the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition has the numbers in the Lower House to challenge Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim amidst speculation of a move to oust him from his position. According to The Star, Bersatu information chief Razali Idris noted recently that there have been claims that his party has enough Members of Parliament (MPs) on its side to overthrow Anwar and his unity government. However, this was not a statement made by Bersatu’s leadership, he added.

“It would be difficult to unseat Anwar who has the majority support with 148 MPs. Even the Opposition chief whip (Hamzah Zainudin) never said this,” Razali was quoted as saying by The Star. He was also quoted as saying by Berita Harian: “Why does Anwar feel the need to think about rumours and gossip (being spread by people) outside the political arena? He shouldn’t be having to think about numbers we may have as his government is strong and stable, with 148 seats.”

“It’s difficult for the opposition to bring down the government with those sorts of numbers. Only if the opposition leader makes a statement that we have the numbers should Anwar dare us to show proof.” Following speculation of attempts by the opposition at toppling the government, Anwar recently challenged the opposition to file a motion of no-confidence in the next parliament sitting.

“We must preserve political stability. Parliament will sit within the next two weeks and I challenge anyone or any party who wants to table a no-confidence motion, please do so. We will face off in parliament to see who has the strength,” said Anwar. Razali, however, reportedly said that the Bersatu MPs have no plans to submit a motion of confidence against Anwar in the coming parliamentary meeting. Bersatu is a component party of PN. The next parliamentary sitting is on May 22.

According to The Star, Parliament Speaker Johari Abdul said last Friday that no MP had submitted a request to table a motion of confidence in the coming meeting after the deadline ended at 5pm that day. However, any MP could still reportedly submit an emergency motion for a vote of confidence during the meeting but it would be up to the speaker to allow it.

Local media recently reported on talk that opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin has clinched enough statutory declarations (SDs) from MPs backing him as the next prime minister. News portal The Vibes on April 24 alleged that there were plans to remove Anwar from his position via by-elections among Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs who did not support him.

According to the report, several BN MPs were being wooed and persuaded to quit their parties and sacrifice their seats. The MPs would then reportedly seek re-election under the PN banner. In December, Anwar secured a vote of confidence during his first parliament session, confirming the legitimacy of his leadership and the unity government he leads. The vote of confidence was done via a voice vote only, with no call for a bloc vote.

Anwar currently leads a unity government comprising his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition and the previous ruling coalition BN, among other parties. Other parties and coalitions that currently back the unity government include Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Parti Warisan (Warisan), reports Channel News Asia.