Mahathir shows proof of SD with 114 MPs

MALAYSIA’S political turmoil enters its seventh day on Feb 29. As Malaysians wait for clarity, FocusM brings you live updates on the matter:

11pm: In a statement issued today, Mahathir questions the accuracy of the claim that 36 Bersatu MPs had given their support to Muhyiddin.

He says he and five Bersatu MPs do not support the nomination of Muhyiddin as prime minister.

The five MPs are Jerlun MP Mukhriz Mahathir, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Kubang Pasu MP Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah, Simpang Renggam MP Mazlee Malik and Kuala Pilah MP Eddin Syazlee Shith.

He also includes a list of names of 114 MPs who he says are supporting him as the eighth PM.

Mahathir adds that he will submit a letter, which includes the list of 114 MPs, to the King.

10.30pm: Seen at the protest tonight is former Bersih chairperson Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, who says democracy is still alive in Malaysia despite the current political uncertainty. 

“Democracy is not dead in our nation, as evidenced by the people gathered here today. 

“I am here because I support democracy, and it is we people who have to keep it alive. 

“At the end of the day, all the MPs have to answer to us. We are the people, and we deserve to know who our MPs chose,” she says.

Protesters began dispersing from Dataran Merdeka at 10.28pm.

9.20pm: Key PH leaders have arrived at Yayasan Albukhary for a meeting with Mahathir. They include: PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu.

Earlier, Selangau MP Baru Bian was seen arriving at around 8:30pm and leaving 15 minutes later after what appears to be an act of defection from Muhyiddin to Mahathir’s camp.

Also, seen at the Yayasan were DAP senator Liew Chin Tong and DAP Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang. 

PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil claims that PH now has the support of 114 MPs.

9.01pm: A small group of protesters are seen airing their grouses at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, chanting “Demokrasi mati (Democracy is dead)” and “Bangkit, rakyat (Rise up, people).”

“The people are angry. If a snap election is supposed to happen, let it happen,” UM student Liew Liang Hong (pic, left) tells FocusM. 

The police are also present at the scene.

8.18pm: GPS has clarified that it is not a member of Muhyiddin-led Perikatan Nasional but “only as a political entity in Sarawak that gives support to” Muhyiddin.

In a statement, the coalition says: “The GPS Government wishes to congratulate YB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Bin Md Yasin, the Member of Parliament for Pagoh (P143) for being appointed as the eight Prime Minister of Malaysia today by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

“However, in reference to a press conference by Tan Sri Muhyiddin, it must be clarified that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is not a member of the Perikatan Nasional but only as a political entity in Sarawak that gives support to Tan Sri Muhyiddin in the interest of the nation and to save Malaysia from political instability without sacrificing the interest of Sarawak.

“At this juncture GPS will only be a political party that is friendly to the Perikatan Nasional.”

7.31pm: Bersatu supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan has called for the country to move on to rebuild the nation following the end of a “sad chapter” in the country’s political history, according to The Star.

“The leaders who have received this new trust (amanah) must ensure that the deeds of the public figures before them must be remembered and appreciated.

“It is a heavy responsibility they have to undertake – which is to unite the country, (and to) ensure that the diversity of ethnicity and religion in Malaysia be restored to become a reason for our strength,” he said in a press statement on his Facebook page.

He also called for Bersatu members to reunite, be better organised and more disciplined than before.

“Bersatu has to hold on to the sovereignty of the law, and stand firm in refusing individuals who are found guilty of crime, corruption, and abuse of power,” he said.

6.45pm: PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan claims that Muhyiddin has the support of 114 MPs, which would mean the Muhyiddin alliance would not be a minority government, according to The Star.

6.35pm: There will be a protest held at Dataran Merdeka at 8.30pm tonight, allegedly called by the same group that had staged a protest there on Feb 25. The call was sent out through social media, with the following message: “Those who are outraged by the betrayal, let’s gather tonight at Dataran Merdeka at 830pm. See you there!”

6.34pm: GPS’s Abdullah Saidol hopes newly-appointed prime minister Muhyiddin will act fairly towards Sarawak and understand the needs of its people, according to The Star.

The assistant minister of corporate affairs says that the GPS-led state government is “willing to cooperate with the new federal government on matters of mutual interest so that the nation could move forward, the economy stabilised and the people’s welfare addressed.”

However, he adds that supporting the new federal government did not mean GPS is joining the new coalition.

6.15pm: Analysis by P Gunasegaram. With 95 seats for PH/Mahathir and 96 for Muhyiddin before GPS’s 18 seats have been taken into account, the question of who would obtain a majority would rest on the GPS’s decision which is to be announced tomorrow. The King’s appointment of Muhyiddin as PM under the circumstances may reflect one of two situations: (1) He knows who GPS will support; or (2) He decided to pick Muhyiddin anyway as the PM who, in his opinion, will likely form the government.

Sources say GPS has decided to throw in their lot with Muhyiddin although no formal announcement has been made.

Article 43(2)(a) of the Constitution provides that “the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall first appoint as Perdana Menteri (Prime Minister) to preside over the Cabinet a member of the House of Representatives who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House”.

The key word is “likely” which means it does not necessarily mean majority, unless there is someone who already has a majority. It may also indicate that the King believes that Muhyiddin will eventually have a majority.

However, Muhyiddin will have to be able to defend a motion of no-confidence which can be held at the earliest on March 9. Article 43(4) of the Constitution says: “If the Prime Minister ceases to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the House of Representatives, then, unless at his request the Yang di-Pertuan Agong dissolves Parliament, the Prime Minister shall tender the resignation of the Cabinet.” 

If he can’t hold a vote of confidence, then Muhyiddin is obliged to resign unless the King dissolves Parliament at his request, which means snap elections. 

But now that he is appointed PM, he has room to get his majority if he does not have it already. Generally, he is considered to be in a much better position to do it since he has already been appointed PM.

That means he is likely to defeat a vote of no-confidence in Parliament if it is mounted. But there is likely to be an attempt to do just that.

Finally, a government thus formed is inherently unstable since a small move in MPs can result in the fall of a government. It can crumble when MPs threaten to pull out over differences. 

Is it a backdoor government? It is, because it bears no resemblance to the government originally elected.

6.05pm: According to Malay Mail, Amanah deputy president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub has stated that PH will conduct its own probe into how Muhyiddin was appointed, claiming that the PH coalition has the support of around 111 to 112 MPs, which is enough to form a simple majority government.

“We are currently collecting evidence, such as the number of statutory declarations, and finding out ourselves,” Salahuddin said upon arriving at Yayasan Albukhary for a meeting with Mahathir.

According to Malaysiakini, Salahuddin said PH will also be examining the law and Federal Constitution before making their next move, though they will continue to gather SDs for submission, stating that there was no time limit for the collection of SDs in the letter from Istana Negara yesterday.

He also hinted that PH may announce whether or not the coalition has enough SDs to retake Putrajaya after the meeting with Mahathir.

4.39pm: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has been appointed as the new prime minister, according to a statement from the palace.

Istana Negara said the appointment was based on Article 40(2)(a) and 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution.

The King decided to appoint Muhyiddin after interviewing all the MPs as he believed Muhyiddin could most likely command majority support in Parliament.

Muhyiddin is expected to be sworn in as PM tomorrow at 10.30am at Istana Negara.

4.26pm:It appears that the final situation in terms of whether PH candidate Mahathir will get a majority will depend on which way Sarawak’s GPS swings its 18 votes. With Warisan throwing its weight of nine seats behind PH and a further three members which Anwar says supports PH, the tally for PH increases by 12 to 104.

If GPS goes with PH and Mahathir as generally expected, then it will have support from a further 18 seats to take it to 122 and a comfortable majority.  However, with 96 MPs now for Muhyiddin, if GPS goes that way, the 114 seats will be enough to give him a 3-seat majority.

GPS is expected to decide on who to support as prime minister tomorrow.

4.18pm: GPS chairman Abang Johari has snubbed Sarawak DAP’s peace offer. “We (GPS) are not stupid to support the party. We have to be careful because that party (DAP) had the intention of taking over Sarawak,” he said.

Abang Johari recalled that last year, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who was also finance minister, came to Sarawak and announced that the state was going to go bankrupt in the next three years.

“We (GPS) are not stupid to support the party. We have to be careful because that party (DAP) had the intention of taking over Sarawak,” Abang Johari told reporters today per FMT.

According to him, DAP had also accused GPS of not being able to govern the state well.

“When it was part of the federal government, a lot of projects in Sarawak were withdrawn. They thought that we could not continue with them (the projects).

“But GPS managed to take over all of the development projects withdrawn by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government,”  Abang Johari said.

4.12pm: GPS has set three conditions for their endorsement of a candidate for the prime minister’s post, according to the New Sarawak Tribune. The next prime minister, according to deputy chief minister Tan Sri James Jemut Masing, will have to listen to input from all parties across Malaysia, as well as the people on the ground.

GPS will also not work with DAP due to the “administrative arrogance” displayed by the party.

“One example is when then Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng came to Sarawak, he announced the state will be bankrupt within three years. That is irresponsible of him as whatever he said as the Finance Minister has a bad impact on the state’s economy.

“They don’t listen to others and they only do what serves them, and to us in Sarawak we are not happy to be put together with DAP,” he said.

The third condition is that Sarawakian interests must be taken into account by the new prime minister, with Masing calling for Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) to be included in the Federal Constitution.“The prime minister must also consider our assets in oil and gas. Petronas now is liberal to our interests and its revenue is what keeps the state alive in terms of developing our infrastructure.

“We are behind West Malaysia and Petronas must be kind to us and look at it in a kinder light,” he said.

4.11pm: Serian MP Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem has been accepted a member of PKR effective today. Richard Riot was previously human resources minister in former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s cabinet.


4.02pm: Mahathir is accompanied by his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali as they leave their granddaughter’s wedding reception.

It is believed he is heading home and has no other events planned for today. He also declined to take questions from the media as he left the Shangri-La Hotel.

3.53pm: Bersih 2.0 believes that the people’s mandate in GE14 has to be respected in the formation of the next government for the remaining term.

“Given the choice between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (TDM) and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Bersih 2.0 supports a government led by TDM on the following expectations,” the electoral watchdog says in a statement.

3.40pm: Anwar says more than 95 MPs back Mahathir as Prime Minister. He has also left the Eastin Hotel. Warisan (9 seats) says it backs Mahathir.

“Warisan stands with its earlier decision that is to support Tun M as Prime Minister,” Warisan says in a statement.

3.19pm: Sabah’s Upko is backing Mahathir to continue as prime minister, Datuk Seri Madius Tangau, who is also Tuaran MP, tells Bernama.

3.01pm: Anwar and his wife Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has been spotted at the Eastin Hotel. 

When asked about Sabah and Sarawak support, Anwar tells FocusM, “Good.” But Anwar didn’t elaborate further as his bodyguards chased reporters away. 

2.54pm: Tun gets all 92 PH MPs’ support, PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution tells the media at Eastin Hotel in PJ. 

He adds that PH is working to woo GPS and Warisan. 

2.38pm: Where is Mahathir? He is attending his granddaughter Meera Alyana Mukhriz’s wedding reception at the Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Special Action Unit (UTK) bodyguards are present in and around the hotel.

Mahathir might head to Istana Negara later but his aide has yet to confirm this with FocusM.

2.20pm: Anwar had been spotted at the Palace earlier. It is believed he submitted a statutory declaration, stating that PH unanimously supports Mahathir as PM. 

Before moving to Istana Negara from Eastin Hotel, Anwar told the press that he would take a step back to stop the “power struggle.”

2.06pm: The Malaysian Insight (TMI) has reported that PH had to ask for the help of Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir to convince Mahathir to meet the coalition late last night.

“It took a few phone calls and text messages but finally Marina managed to get her father around to speaking to PH leaders,” a source told TMI.

Marina tells FocusM that she “facilitated the meeting. That’s all.”

1.19pm: Now, Bersatu secretary-general Marzuki affirms Mahathir as chairman. This comes after Bersatu president Muhyiddin’s declaration that he was acting Bersatu chairperson following Mahathir’s resignation on Thursday (Feb 27). 

“In line with the principles of the rule of law and the party constitution, the only individual with absolute power to lead the party is the Bersatu chairperson which is Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“Therefore, party actions and direction is subject to the decision of the Bersatu chairperson,” says Marzuki in a statement.

1.03pm: Earlier, around 12.30pm, Harapan leaders were seen leaving Istana Negara after spending half an hour at the palace. 

The group consisted of Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, Amanah vice-president Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Amanah strategic director Dzulkefly Ahmad and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng. 

They didn’t tell the media the purpose of their visit but Dzulkefly said they “handed over” something to the Palace.

12.55pm: PKR president Anwar Ibrahim is expected to be excluded from the new government that Mahathir is expected to form, as per Malaysiakini. 

“In the halls, insiders are acknowledging that PKR president Anwar Ibrahim volunteered to not join the cabinet and to make way for Mahathir as prime minister, in order to keep Harapan 2.0 alive,” PKR’s Subang MP Wong Chen tells Malaysiakini.

FocusM earlier reported, citing sources, that Mahathir was expected to return as PM once numbers were in but PKR breakaway faction led by Azmin would be out as well as Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who led the move to form an alliance with Umno-PAS.

Anwar would stay out of the Cabinet and had agreed for Mahathir to continue until after Apec in Nov. Importantly, GPS would come into government for the first time in the new coalition while Warisan will return. 

The sources said this agreement was thrashed out in the wee hours of the morning between Mahathir and the Harapan coalition.

12.27pm: Now, Bersatu says Mahathir has resigned as chairman on Feb 24. Bersatu president Muhyiddin says that according to the party’s constitution, “if the chairman quits or is forced to resign, the president has to take over until a party election is held to appoint a new chairman.”

Muyhiddin says, “Bersatu has not had an election to appoint a new Chairman. So, I as the president will hold the post of (interim) Chairman until an election is held.”

On Thursday (Feb 27), Bersatu said the party had accepted Mahathir back as its chairman.

11.54am: Lawyer New Sin Yew has mooted that a no-confidence vote against interim prime minister Mahathir in the Dewan Rakyat, to solve the present political impasse. 

In a Facebook posting, he said such a vote would be a better way to gauge which prime minister candidate had the backing of the MPs.

“In my view, there is really only one solution to this – the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong should reject all extraneous evidence (Statutory Declarations, interviews, group gatherings) in determining whether a PM has ceased to command the confidence of majority because such evidence is so unreliable and the MPs are clearly not good for their word.

”The Agong should insist on having confidence tested in the Dewan Rakyat by way of a vote of no confidence where MPs cannot retract or change,” he wrote.

11.31am: Muhyiddin’s team now says they will be back to see the King tomorrow. “We will be back tomorrow,” PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said per Malaysiakini.

They returned to Muhyiddin’s house at 10.50am after failing to seek an audience with the King. Seen in the picture below are: (From left) Star’s Keningau MP Datuk Jeffrey Gapari Kitingan, PBS’ Pensiangan MP Arthur Joseph Kurup, Ahmad Zahid, Muhyiddin, Abdul Hadi, Azmin and GPS chief whip Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

11.16am: A group of Bersatu, PAS and Umno MPs aligned to Muhyiddin are currently conducting a meeting at his house after a session with the King at the Palace. It is understood the group failed to secure an audience with the King.

Seen in these pictures are: Simpang Renggam MP Maszlee Malik, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

11.13am: Earlier, Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Wira Marzuki Yahya issued a statement, saying that the party’s constitution states the only individual that had the authority to the lead the party was the Bersatu chairman. In this case, Mahathir. But the party has retracted the statement. 

For reference, this is the deleted memo:

11.06am: DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng confirms meeting with Mahathir. In a tweet, he called the session “a momentous decision that protects the people’s mandate and nation’s interests.”

10.56am: Mahathir is expected to return as PM once numbers are in but PKR breakaway faction led by Azmin will be out as well as Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who led the move to form an alliance with Umno-Pas, sources tell FocusM. 

PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will stay out of the Cabinet and has agreed for Mahathir to continue until after Apec in Nov. Importantly, GPS will come into government for the first time in the new coalition while Warisan will return. 

The sources say this agreement was thrashed out in the wee hours of the morning between Mahathir and the Harapan coalition.

10.28am: In what could be dubbed a positive development, Sarawak DAP says willing to make concessions with Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the upcoming state election, in the name of national interest, according to Malaysiakini.

“In the name of national interest, anything can,” Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chien Jen tells the news portal.

When asked by Malaysiakini if Sarawak DAP were willing to work with GPS, Chong replied they were open to working with anyone other than Umno and PAS. 

Yesterday, Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Masing said GPS would not back a coalition that included DAP.

“GPS will come into a coalition without DAP. Whatever the coalition is, DAP must not be in it,” he told Consider This programme by Astro Awani yesterday.

10.15am: Mahathir’s entry into the fray on Harapan’s side could crucially tilt the balance in favour of Harapan against the Bersatu-BN-PAS alliance. Harapan’s total support was at least 92 MPs (PKR 39, DAP 42 and Amanah 11). Mahathir is thought to have the support of Sarawak’s (GPS 18) and Sabah (Warisan 9) taking the total to 119, five seats over simple majority. Others may switch as well.

The support for Muhyiddin, going by current known alignments, is (Umno 39, Bersatu 26, PAS 18, Datuk Seri Azmin Ali’s faction 10, MCA 2 and MIC 1 for a total of 96). Muhyiddin can’t win without GPS and/or Warisan.

10.10am: The Agong is expected to summon leaders of all political parties to Istana Negara at 10.30am. The Ruler had interviewed MPs on their preferred candidate for prime minister but was not satisfied that any MP commanded a majority.

9.39am: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad now claims he has the numbers to form government. This came after a meeting with Pakatan Harapan this morning. 

“The decision will be conveyed to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” Mahathir says in a statement.

The Harapan coalition, too, has now shored up support for Mahathir as PM. “Pakatan Harapan is against the formation of any backdoor government that threatens the reform agenda. Therefore, to defend the agenda, Pakatan Harapan fully backs Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as its candidate for prime minister,” the coalition said today. 

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