SHAH ALAM – The decision made by four Perikatan Nasional (PN) Members of Parliament (MPs) to express their support for the Prime Minister is due to the weakness of the coalition’s leaders who refused to discuss matters with the federal government.
Amanah deputy Youth chief Ammar Atan said the action showed that the opposition MPs had lost trust in Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as all four were from the party.
"I am not surprised if more Bersatu MPs come forward to support Anwar in the coming days,” he said in a statement.
Ammar said this was the first time in Malaysian history that the ruling government opened its doors to discuss special allocations for the opposition MPs, which had never been done during Muhyiddin’s leadership.
He urged PN MPs to rise and pressure PN leadership, particularly opposition leader Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin to initiate discussions with the government immediately.
"The truth is, had discussions taken place earlier this year, the PN rift would not have occurred as Anwar's leadership was open to cooperation. These are special allocation funds, not the rights of MPs and not governed by any national financial regulations.
"Enough of politics, don't blame the Prime Minister for being willing to accept cooperation from several specific MPs. Reflect on yourselves first, why are you too proud and arrogant to engage in discussions? Afraid of losing face? Or deliberately trying to create the perception that this government is oppressive?,” he said.
Ammar added that perhaps it was time PN MPs replaced Hamzah, who was too focused on politics all the time without considering the overall interests of the MPs.
He suggested that Ketereh MP Major General Datuk Khair Mohd Nor – who was firm and clear on this issue – to replace Hamzah.