Muhyiddin: Political parties could force their lawmakers to support non-Malay PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today claimed of an unspoken understanding that Malaysia’s prime minister should be Malay, which could be broken due to the shifts in the country’s political landscape.

In a statement this evening, Muhyiddin said the fact that every prime minister in the country has been a Malay supported his assertion.

However, Malaysia’s departure from single-party rule following Barisan Nasional’s defeat in the 14th general election and the hung parliament in last year’s edition fundamentally altered the power-sharing formula that had always put a Malay in charge of the government, he said.

The former PM further claimed that this was exacerbated by the constitutional amendment against political defections, which he said would bind elected lawmakers to any decision of their party.

“If in the future, their party president, for whatever excuse or interest, decides to support a non-Malay to be prime minister, the elected representative must obey.

“Otherwise, they risk losing their membership, must vacate their seat, and pay hundreds of millions in compensation,” he said in a statement today.

Muhyiddin’s statement did not explain why this had not been the case with five of his party’s lawmakers — the MPs for Labuan, Kuala Kangsar, Gua Musang, Jeli, and Bukit Gantang — who were openly supporting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s government but remained party members and retained their seats.

Yesterday, Bersatu information chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal called for the Federal Constitution to be amended in order to restrict non-Malays from becoming the prime minister.

Currently, the only stipulation for an elected federal lawmaker to become the prime minister is for the person to convince the Yang di-Pertuan Agong that they command the support of the majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

Today, Muhyiddin repeated his party’s claim that Umno has become subservient to DAP in the national unity government, and would be powerless to refuse the latter party.