PERIKATAN Nasional (PN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has defended the action of 12 PN ministers who penned a letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to express their objection against any move to hold the 15th general election (GE15) this year.
“It is normal for the party representatives to send a letter to anyone,” he was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today (Oct 12).
Hamzah noted that he understood why caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has to take the PN ministers to task for what the latter claimed had led to the dissolution of Parliament on Monday (Oct 10).
“Prior to that, he said (last week) that it was normal, and a few days later he came out with another statement saying it was not normal. I think something is wrong here,” the news portal reported him as saying.
“(However), I understand that this may happen because when we had a discussion in the cabinet. Sometimes, we have to be mindful of our responsibility in representing a certain political party.
“I think we have no choice. The same with the prime minister. If the party asks him to do something, he has only to listen and do it accordingly.”
Yesterday, Ismail Sabri said the act of penning a letter to the ruler had undermined the prime minister institution and the solidarity among members of the federal administration.
This was in contrary to what he said on Sunday (Oct 9) where he told reporters that the issue of a loss of confidence in the government did not arise despite the letter to the Agong.
He also said that the Government was still functional as the prime minister still had the support of more than 112 federal lawmakers to command the Parliament.
On Oct 7 UMNO secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan claimed the current federal government has lost “40% of its legitimacy” after PN ministers sent a letter to the monarch to object to a general election during the year-end monsoon season.
Ahmad described the PN letter to the Agong as akin to breaking ranks with the Government as such issues are supposed to be resolved within the Cabinet. – Oct 12, 2022
Main photo credit: Berita Harian
