Zahid says sent more declarations to Agong, demands immediate confidence vote

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 ― Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said additional statutory declarations have been presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to solidify his party’s rejection of the Muhyiddin administration.

Ahmad Zahid also disputed Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s insistence earlier today that the latter still possessed majority support in Parliament.

He then challenged Muhyiddin to convene a special parliamentary sitting to table a confidence vote immediately instead of September as the latter proposed.

“After the (Umno) supreme council made the decision to withdraw support for the Perikatan Nasional government and the prime minister on the basis of wanting to side with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the number of declarations from Umno MPs have increased.

“Today, I have sent a letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to present the additional declarations as an extension of the previous letter,” Ahmad Zahid said in a statement this evening.

Yesterday, Ahmad Zahid claimed that enough of his party’s federal lawmakers have signed a declaration to withdraw its support for Muhyiddin and the PN government, adding that the declarations were presented during an audience with the Agong.

He accused Muhyiddin and his government of defying and belittling the Agong by failing to abide by his decree that the Emergence Ordinances be tabled for debate in both Houses of Parliament.

Earlier today, Muhyiddin announced that a confidence vote will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat when it convenes in September, after insisting that he possessed statutory declarations from MPs expressing support for him to remain as the PM.

Since then, leaders of Opposition parties have called for another special sitting of Parliament to be held no later than August 9 to debate and vote on Muhyiddin’s motion of confidence.

They said that the special sitting should be held based on Standing Order 11(3), adding that it would be unfair for the government to delay until September the vote on the motion of confidence for Muhyiddin, whose current standing as prime minister is in doubt.