Press statement by MP for Ipoh Barat, M. Kula Segaran on 24 August 2021:
Why is Apandi blatantly disregarding the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s call to test confidence in Parliament?
Former attorney general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali is blatantly disregarding the Agong’s call that the new Prime Minister must secure a vote of confidence in Parliament, after he is sworn in.
A week ago, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong decreed that the newly appointed Prime Minister must quickly table a vote of confidence in Parliament to prove his legitimacy of majority support among Dewan Rakyat members.
His Majesty Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah said this needs to be done in accordance with Articles 40(2) and 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution.
Today Apandi has foolishly opposed that thought by saying the constitution does not require such a move.
Yet Apandi forgets that both former Prime Ministers Tun Hussein Onn and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who upon taking the reins from the sitting Prime Minister, tested their support in parliament within 11 days and three days, respectively.
A Prime Minister that is afraid of testing his majority in Parliament, fears to do so because their support is brittle, like that of former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Apandi’s argument therefore is shallow and disrespectful of the Agong’s wishes. The Agong after all wants a stable and formidable government to address the nation’s woes, especially since the poor handling of the Covid-19 Pandemic under Muhyiddin’s leadership.
As there is precedence to the matter in our country and in other countries under the democratic parliamentary system of government (Westminster system), Apandi should retract his poor reasoning and stop trying to protect the already fragile government led by Ismail.
