PETALING JAYA, Jan 9 — Pandang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said more Umno MPs are expected to withdraw their support from Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional government.

This comes after Machang MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub earlier announced today that he would no longer support Muhyiddin as prime minister.

"We wait and see. More (Umno) MPs (may) withdraw their support. We wait and see.

"Then Muhyiddin will have to meet the King”, he was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.

By convention, a prime minister who loses majority support in the Dewan Rakyat must submit the resignation of his Cabinet to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who will then choose a new prime minister who would command a Parliamentary majority.

Nazri however declined to confirm how many Umno MPs could be expected to withdraw their support for Muhyiddin and declined to confirm whether he was one of them.

Jazlan, who had last week quit as the chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), made the announcement during a press conference in Kota Bharu, Kelantan this evening and later in his social media accounts. 

With this and Gua Musang’s MP Tan Sri Razaleigh Hamzah’s similar announcement last month, Muhyiddin currently only has the support of 110 out of 220 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat.

The main opposition bloc Pakatan Harapan has only 91 MPs as 17 other non-Umno lawmakers are not aligned with them.

The government bench currently comprises 50 from PN, 41 from Barisan Nasional, 18 from Gabungan Parti Sarawak, PBS (1) and one PN-friendly independent member.

On Wednesday, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after its Supreme Council meeting said a motion to sever ties with Bersatu will be decided in the Jan 31 Umno general assembly.

He said 143 out of Umno’s 191 divisions had told the party leadership that they did not want to cooperate with Bersatu in the next general election.

Jazlan had previously said he would resign as MPOB chairman if the PN government does not dissolve Parliament by the end of January. However, he resigned within hours of making the statement.