Faizal, who is Tambun MP, said “baseless” allegations had been made that Muhyiddin had postponed Monday’s sitting of the Dewan Rakyat because of concerns that the government would collapse.
“Myself and other Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional MPs are prepared to face (the House) when it reconvenes,” he told FMT. “We are very confident that majority support will be retained to enable the government to continue functioning, while giving focus to the rakyat’s welfare.”
“The question of avoiding the sitting because of concerns that the government may fall does not arise at all,” he said. He added that the government had the required number of votes.
Faizal said the decision to postpone the Dewan Rakyat sitting had been based on the advice of the health ministry. Those who claimed the government had political motivations in the matter had “insulted” a civil servant in charge of advising the government.
“How is it possible that a health ministry professional would act by giving advice based on political considerations?” he said.
He said government critics should be more aware about the pandemic and the dangers of new variants, especially the Delta variant.
“As MPs, we must put the safety of the public as the main priority. Even though we have been vaccinated, we are not immune and can still carry the virus without us knowing,” Faizal said.
The Dewan Rakyat sitting set to resume on Monday has been postponed to a later date, according to a circular sent to MPs earlier this evening.
The circular said the postponement made by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was in line with risk analysis by the health ministry following a recent Covid-19 outbreak in Parliament.
Opposition MPs have decried the decision to postpone Monday’s sitting, saying it was proof that Muhyiddin has lost majority support.
Some had also associated the postponement to the disagreement between Istana Negara and the Prime Minister’s Office over the revocation of emergency ordinances.
Bersatu supreme council member Razali Idris said the opposition clearly had hidden motives in urging that a confidence vote be taken at the Dewan Rakyat.
“If we see the opposition making a push to have a sitting for improvements to how we are handling Covid-19, the government would accept this, but we see that they (the opposition) are not heading in that direction. They are trying to create even more instability,” he told FMT.
Razali, who is a member of the Senate, said all MPs had been informed that the special meeting was only to discuss the National Recovery Plan and that no motions or voting could be carried out during the five day-sitting.
“All of them would need to wait, if there is a new motion or if they want to bring a vote of no confidence they can raise the matter in September,” he said.