The tussle to dissolve Parliament has begun, following the no-show of 49 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.
The absence of the 49, the bulk of whom were from the government, resulted in the motion to extend the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) – tabled by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin – being defeated through a bloc vote.
Associate Professor Dr Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk said that while there has been an “auditory overload” on the significance of the defeat of the motion – including the opposition acting in contravention of its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government – it was important to look at the matter from a different context.
“The opposition has always been against Sosma. To expect the opposition to vote with the government on the matter is a bit of a stretch. The opposition is just doing what it does best,” said Azeem, who is director of Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Centre for Policy Research and International Studies.
“The defeat by the government in Parliament shows its weakness. Here, you are tabling something important, and your backbenchers were not present … This is a sign that the general election is around the corner,” he said.
“Umno wants to show that the current government is weak, and prove to the rakyat on the need for a fresh mandate. It’s the same narrative that happened in Johor (resulting in the collapse of the state government).”
Azeem said the timing was also right for a general election, as the current Parliament would have been in session for four years, come May.
“It’s an indicator of how Umno wants things to play out and we will most likely see Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob seeking an audience with the King soon.
“Umno wants to ride on its recent successes in the Melaka and Johor state elections. The opposition is currently fragmented, and Umno wants to strike while the iron is still hot and capitalise on the momentum (of winning).”
Azeem said it was impossible to gauge if Ismail Sabri was indeed leading a “weak government” as no independent survey or poll had been carried out to measure his performance.
“He was only sworn in as the ninth prime minister, last August. It is too soon to judge him,” said Azeem.
He also pointed out that the entire situation could also be seen as a powerplay between Umno and Bersatu to nullify its MoU with the opposition.
The 49 MPs absent on Wednesday were from Barisan Nasional (13 MPs), Perikatan Nasional (14) , Pakatan Harapan (12), Pejuang (2), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (3), Parti Warisan Sabah (3), Parti Sarawak Bersatu (1) and one Independent representative.
Among the no-shows were Senior Ministers Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa, Bagan Datuk MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Pekan MP Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Pagoh MP Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Last September, the government signed a MoU with Pakatan Harapan, ostensibly to establish bi-partisan cooperation for the sake of political stability in the country.
The agreement ends when Parliament is dissolved. The MoU however, will not affect PH’s role in providing checks and balances, and in ensuring that the government remains transparent and effective in managing the country.
