King Of Malaysia: Whoever Is Appointed Prime Minister, Must Be Able To Prove Majority Support

Raja of Malaysia Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah. (Wikimedia Commons/Roosevelt2022)

JAKARTA - Malaysia's King Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah said the next prime minister should submit a vote of confidence in parliament as soon as possible, while urging all parties to work as a team as the process to identify a new leader continues.

He said this last Wednesday. Earlier, the king also asked all MPs to submit an official statement by Wednesday at 4pm on who they support as the new prime minister, following the resignation of Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday.

"His Majesty emphasizes that the declaration of this law is to assist him in making a decision on appointing a member of parliament, who in his opinion can win the confidence of a majority of MPs as provided for in Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution," a statement issued by palace financial supervisor Ahmad Fadil Syamsuddin, citing CNA Wednesday 18 August.

"His Majesty also said that the prime minister who has been appointed by His Majesty in accordance with Articles 40(2)(a) and 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution must immediately submit a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives to prove that he has the confidence of the majority of the members. parliament," the statement added.

The statement said in a meeting with political party leaders on Tuesday the king had stressed that consensus and honesty among MPs was indispensable, to ensure the welfare and safety of the people remained a priority.

"Members of the House of Representatives need to show solidarity by continuing to strive, providing high commitment and providing the best service to the community," he added.

Both the Raja of Malaysia and the Sultan of Perak, who is the Deputy Agong, also expressed their views during the royal audience, that all MPs should strive to create unity among all political parties, focusing on solving current problems.

"Before the royal audience ended yesterday, the king also reminded the leaders and representatives of the leaders of the major political parties, to ensure harmony, winning MPs should cooperate with those who failed and all parties should be ready to work together as a team," the statement said. .

Malaysian Parliament illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/DannyG15)

In other words, the winner doesn't win everything, while the loser doesn't lose everything.

The statement also confirmed that the king would preside over a special meeting of Malay rulers on Friday. The Star previously reported that during the meeting, the king will most likely share the decisions of the 220 MPs on who they support as the next prime minister.

The United Malays National Organization (UMNO) has announced that it will nominate Ismail Sabri Yaakob as its prime ministerial candidate, following a meeting of the highest council on Tuesday evening.

The decision was backed by Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), according to local media. PAS vice president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man confirmed that all 18 federal lawmakers will support Ismail Sabri as prime minister.

Bersatu supreme council member Eddin Syazlee Shith was quoted by Malaysiakini as saying all 35 party lawmakers had been instructed by Muhyiddin, the party president, to support Ismail Sabri.

Meanwhile, President of the People's Justice Party (PKR) Anwar Ibrahim is the opposition bloc's candidate for the top spot. "We have approved Anwar to be supported as the opposition candidate for PM," said Parti Warisan Sabah president Mohd Shafie Apdal, according to the Star.

To note, prime ministerial candidates will need to convince their rulers that they may have majority support from the Lower House, which currently has 220 members of parliament and two vacant seats.