Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has told the government to table a motion of confidence, whether for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin or against him, in the Dewan Rakyat.
The UMNO president, speaking during the debate on the Supply Bill 2021, said the government should make the motion of confidence a priority government business in the ongoing session of the House.
“Whether it’s a motion of confidence or otherwise, it should be tested in this august House. If this cannot be done due to constraints of standing orders, adjustments must be made with government business given precedence.
“Let the government make it a priority government business to bring the motion of confidence in this august House,” he said.
Some 25 MPs have filed motions of no-confidence against Muhyiddin, while two motions of confidence for the prime minister have also been submitted.
Zahid also said that the mandate must be returned to the people as soon as possible because priority must be given to the voice of the people.
“In this matter, we set aside the differences on this side or the other (government or opposition bloc) for the sake of the people in the interests of this august House.
Let’s be united in the mandate being returned to the people because the people’s mandate is a sacred mandate,” he said.
Zahid said members of parliament must reject any proposal for the proclamation of a nationwide emergency.
He pointed out that the proclamation of an emergency is not an option and that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers have rejected it.
“However, the people accept the localised emergency proclaimed for (the) Batu Sapi (parliamentary constituency. We understand,” he said.
The King yesterday proclaimed an emergency for Batu Sapi in Sabah in view of the high number of Covid-19 cases, thus postponing the by-election scheduled to be held there on Dec 5.
On Budget 2021, Ahmad Zahid suggested a reduction of university fees in view of Covid-19, saying the impact of the pandemic has affected 1.1 million students in public and private tertiary institutions, besides youths and school leavers who are unemployed.
Private doctors who have had to shut down their clinics due to a reduction in or loss of the number of patients should be provided assistance through an economic stimulus scheme, he said.
He also said that financial institutions and finance companies should sympathise with fund borrowers who have lost their jobs or suffer reduced income.
He added that he will support the budget only if Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributors were allowed to withdraw RM10,000 from their Account 1, and the automatic loan moratorium was extended.