YOURSAY | ‘It looks like Muhyiddin has effectively cancelled Umno AGM scheduled for Jan 31.’

Nazri withdraws support for Muhyiddin, PN govt

Emergency declaration is PM's admission of majority loss - Nazri

Kim Quek: There is nothing in law to stop an MP from publicly declaring his withdrawal of support to the PM and his government – irrespective of whether there is a proclamation of emergency.

And if there are enough such MP declarations, like what Padang Rengas MP Nazri Abdul Aziz has done, to put the government in a glaring minority position in Parliament, then the PM is compelled by the Federal Constitution to submit his resignation to the Agong or alternatively request for a dissolution of Parliament in accordance with Article 150(4) of the Constitution even when there is a proclamation of emergency.

So, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is not above the waters yet. His fate still hangs on the intention of those MPs who are contemplating to do what Nazri did.

For the Love of Malaysia: Well done, Nazri. Respect for grassroots is important. They are the ones who voted for you. May you win again in the next election.

If another 10 to 20 Umno MPs announce their withdrawal of support, will the PM still want to hold on to his position or do the honourable act to resign despite this emergency?

Vijay47: Come on, Nazri, spare us your RTM “Drama Minggu Ini” nonsense.

Please bear in mind that you are not speaking at the Umno general assembly or the Malay Dignity Congress where the faithful gather periodically to assure themselves that they surely must amount to something despite the unlikeliness of such hope.

Remember, you are a lawyer even if not fortified with a PhD as your friend Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan is, and every barb you aim at Muhyiddin may ricochet back to pierce you.

You say that Muhyiddin’s declaration of emergency is an admission by him that he had lost parliamentary majority. Really? When did this misfortune befall him? It was there ab initio, as lawyers are wont to say.

It did not occur on Monday at 5.30pm since one does not lose majority in Parliament by the event of an emergency. A declaration of emergency is exactly that, a declaration of emergency; in the present case supposedly to achieve a clean bill of health for the country.

To cut to the chase, the admission was now, but the truth was there all along. Your sneering comment suggests that Muhyiddin is wanting in morals and ethics by insisting on retaining premiership despite his lack of qualification.

If he be that, what does it make of you by your firm support of him and the government all these months? You were quite happy then to hunt with the hounds and now run with the hares. That is hardly the hallmark of honour.

So, Nazri, spare us these outpourings of piety. They won’t wash nor will they sell.

The Wakandan: Among the main players, (you can fill the blank – Umno, Bersatu, Pakatan Harapan, Warisan, GPS) it is a game of wit, wiliness and guile. At the moment, Muhyiddin has the upper hand. He is perhaps smarter than the rest.

Action taken by the various players is not as straightforward as what the commenters here may like to say. All actions have their consequences, and that’s what matters, which the respective party takes into consideration. The end objective is GE15 and that means people’s (voter) support.

The major prize are the Malay voters because they are the majority but non-Muslims can tip the balance. The means is to strategise to achieve the objective. As we can see, each party has its own interest and they do differ from each other due to their potential voting targets. They have to attract them.

Umno is not what it was before. It was pretty much damaged due to the wholesale corruption, while its objective is still attractive to the Malay mass.

Bersatu obviously wants to replace Umno. It is not a coincidence that it is made of former Umno members – the characteristic is still the same.

PAS would likely win some disgruntled former Umno members, especially those who are inclined to turn to religion.

PKR is a mishmash of a motley Malaysian crowd. You have to feel for its president Anwar Ibrahim; it is not easy to rein in people with so many divergent interests.

Sarawak GPS is Umno’s little twin brother of Najib Abdul Razak’s faction and Sabah Warisan in a similar way, albeit as Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s faction through its president Shafie Apdal.

Going with that, what do we expect them to do vis-à-vis Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN)?

None has the absolute strength without alienating their potential supporters. Umno could not leave PN for fear of being accused of power-hungry or deserting Malay unity. They have to make Muhyiddin look really bad to justify their action.

Finally, Muhyiddin can read their move and make one of his own. The emergency may be a short-term solution for him but nobody really expects him to last this long, not even Mahathir.

So far so good of Muhyiddin. How he can manoeuvre his move to stay in power this long is a credit to him.

New Year: A bit too late, Nazri. Muhyiddin already got his wishes fulfilled.

With daily harassment by Umno, led by Najib demanding more privileges, it had caused Muhyiddin to act this way.

Now he can work in peace with hardly any pressure from any side or coalition. At the same time, PAS knows who to support in the next elections.

Muhyiddin’s hold on the Treasury and at the same time, possession of full power under emergency laws, allows him to work with any party for the betterment of the people.

Umno ended up being the bigger loser in this game of chess. Checkmate, Nazri.

Annonnymous 080: Yes, a tad bit late, Nazri and gang. If you guys voted out Budget 2021, we won’t be in this twin mess of a movement control order (MCO) and an emergency.

It looks like Muhyiddin has effectively cancelled your Umno AGM scheduled for Jan 31.

BrownFalcon4984: Nazri, you and Umno had a chance during the budget debate to get rid of Muhyiddin. But all of you played games and were more interested in trying to get the best deal from PN or Pakatan Harapan.

Ultimately now Muhyiddin will, as you said, buy over Umno branches and members in the next six months. Furthermore, there are Umno ministers who may jump ship. Soon Umno may become irrelevant.

Doc: The Umno dominos are set to drop. With declaring an "emergency", Muhyiddin has pushed the pro-Bersatu Umno faction to an awkward corner and neutralised its influence in the party.

Expect more Umno MPs to withdraw support from PN in the days to weeks to come.

Constitutional Supremacy: Nazri, the declaration of emergency is an attempt at preventing another person from having majority support and taking over the government, especially when elections are only due in 2023.

Political parties outside PN should come together and forge a majority and see the Agong for one of them to be appointed as PM.

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