KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — In an admission that Pakatan Harapan (PH) is now the opposition, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that the pact will call for an urgent sitting of the Parliament to prove that it has the majority instead.
The interim prime minister also warned that the sitting must be done soon as the new federal government may attempt to postpone it as long as they can, leading to fears that the 114 MPs that support Dr Mahathir to be induced to defect to the other side.
“But that is left to the Dewan. This [PH side of the] Dewan has 114 but...before this sitting a lot of things can happen,” he told a press conference in Yayasan Al-Bukhary.
“People on our side can be offered to be ministers, offered inducements. We feel that we have 114 [MPs] but after the actions of this very rich, very powerful people we may not have the 114.”
Parliament was supposed to convene at March 9.
Prior to his re-nomination as prime minister by PH, Dr Mahathir had previously called for a special sitting on March 2 to vote for the next prime minister.
Dr Mahathir said Muhyiddin is still merely the prime minister by way of the Agong's appointment, and will still need to prove legitimacy by proving he commands majority support from the Dewan Rakyat.
“Of course they can delay Parliament but we are going to ask for an urgent sitting of Parliament,” the Langkawi MP asserted.
“And in that urgent sitting we will see who has the majority.”
The 94 year-old, whose resignation as premier on Monday triggered the collapse of the PH government, claimed Muhyiddin's appointment is unconstitutional and raised doubts about the latter's assertion that he had majority support.
“If we go according to the Constitution he is not the right prime minister,” he said.
“But as you know sometimes the candidate that is named by the winning party to the King or the Ruler may be rejected by the Ruler. If the Ruler rejects and accepts somebody else and the Dewan accepts him then he becomes the legal menteri besar or prime minister.
