MoU which forces MPs to support the PM under any condition reeks of dictatorship - Ermieyati Samsudin

SHAH ALAM - The memorandum of understanding which will allow Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to gain a supermajority during the confidence vote in Parliament is unconstitutional, illegal and is a form of dictatorship.

In a Facebook post Masjid Tanah Member of Parliament Ermieyati Samsudin said clause four of the MoU states that all members of parliament must support the prime minister in any motion of confidence, supply bill, or any motion related to the confidence of the PH-BN unity government.

Furthermore Ermieyati elaborated that according to clause 4(b) of the MoU if any parliamentarian fails to vote accordingly in support of the unity government they will be deemed as having vacated their seat based on Article 49A of the Federal Constitution.

“This agreement is illegal, unconstitutional and cannot be enforced.

“ If you look closely at Article 49A a seat cannot be vacated, just by the way a member of parliament voted, it only covers situations where a member of parliament resigns or ceases to be a member of his party ”, she wrote on Thursday.

Ermieyati who is also the vice president of Srikandi Bersatu Malaysia said it was impossible for Anwar and the Umno leadership to not be aware of the intricacies of the anti-hopping law.

" This new type of despotism has never been witnessed before in the history of Malaysian politics or parliament.

“Forcing parliamentarians to vote according to instructions is the same as the system in North Korea or China, such things have no place in the Malaysian democratic system," she added.

She urged all members of parliament, especially those from the unity government to not to be afraid to carry out their duties and to not be afraid of an illegal agreement.

" I would like to call on all members of parliament to vote according to what is best for the county and for the people, and to always vote with a conscience,"

Ermieyati said the agreement is one of the most dangerous threats to the Malaysian democracy system and she hoped all parliamentarians will make a bold stand against the agreement.

On Thursday leaders of five political coalitions and parties signed a MoU stating their support for the unity government led by Anwar Ibrahim.The pact was jointly signed by Anwar himself as Pakatan Harapan chairman, Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Zahid Hamidi, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chairman Abang Johari Openg, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman Hajiji Noor, and Warisan president Shafie Apdal.

According to the MoU, all the signatory coalitions and parties must support Anwar in all matters of confidence and supply as well as those that could have a bearing on the legitimacy of his administration.

The coalitions and parties are responsible for ensuring their federal lawmakers abided by the MoU, and any MPs who did not comply would be considered as having resigned from their party, effectively triggering the anti-hopping law.