Former academic Azmi Hassan said Umno’s two-week ultimatum to Muhyiddin was to force the Perikatan Nasional government to do “something positive”.
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said yesterday he gave the PN-led government 14 days to reconvene Parliament.
Azmi said Umno was using the opportunity to put PN in an awkward position.
“They know (that a Parliament sitting) is not achievable at least until the end of July but they may feel this is the best way to force PN’s hand,” he told FMT.
He said it was unlikely that any political party would call for a confidence vote against the prime minister when Parliament sits, as the rakyat may accuse the politicians of putting their self-interest above public health.
“The health issue needs to be addressed first. After that comes jobs, as many people are jobless,” he added.
However, he said Umno and Pakatan Harapan may make life difficult for the governing party by not supporting any bills that are presented. “That’s where problems may arise.”
Those who intended to push for the confidence vote should have a candidate for a new prime minister ready, in case the present government fails to garner a sufficient majority, he said.
Kenneth Cheng, a member of the Agora Society, a loose network of intellectuals, told FMT that Umno will only be able to initiate real changes if elections are called.
He said that even if the party were to withdraw from the government now, it would need to agree with other parties on a prime ministerial candidate.
Last week, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong issued a statement that Parliament should reconvene as soon as possible. A day earlier, Muhyiddin had said that Parliament could meet by September or October at the earliest and only if daily Covid-19 cases dropped below 2,000.
Cheng said not all Umno ministers may withdraw from the government in the midst of the pandemic.
Umno would have a better chance of governing the country after a general election as it is expected to gain ground support from rural and urban Malays, he said.
“Until then, Umno will have to strategise its moves,” he added.
Cheng added that it is unclear if Muhyiddin still holds a majority in the Dewan Rakyat, especially after two Umno MPs said they have withdrawn their support. The two are Kelantan Umno chief and Machang MP Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub, and Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz, while Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said he refused to back Muhyiddin as prime minister.
Cheng said a few MPs may jump ship to support Muhyiddin’s administration. The tit-for-tat game, he said, is likely to continue until a general election is called.
Socio-political analyst Awang Azman Pawi said Zahid’s statement shows that the party has distanced itself from the government. “By giving the ultimatum, they want Muhyiddin’s administration to reconvene Parliament immediately,” he said.
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