Azmi Hassan from Akademi Nusantara said the support Anwar enjoyed from these MPs was enough, even though it fell short of a two-thirds majority.
“He doesn’t need the two-thirds (majority) support right now, only when it comes to amending the Federal Constitution.
“(Any attempt to obtain more support) would only make sense if Anwar has the support of only 113 or 114 MPs, in a situation where the government can collapse anytime,” he told FMT.
On Tuesday, Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal identified two persons whom he claimed allegedly enticed opposition MPs into supporting Anwar’s leadership.
Wan Fayhsal said the two – a man dubbed “Datuk Botak” and a former political aide – were shown in a video that he said had been circulating on Facebook and TikTok.
The opposition has accused Anwar of trying to buy support from its MPs after four from Bersatu declared their support for the ruling government to secure allocations for their constituencies.
The four are Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang) and Zahari Kechik (Jeli).
Azmi said the claim of Anwar attempting to entice opposition MPs to support him might be part of Bersatu’s strategy to divert public attention from the actual issues at hand: the party’s stagnation and leadership crisis.
“They (Bersatu) don’t know where to go, whether to be an opposition party or to pursue (their claim) that they have the numbers to topple the unity government,” he said.
As such, Azmi said the four MPs saw no future in backing the party and had used the need for allocations as a public justification for their decision to switch sides.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia said Bersatu stood to gain politically only if the allegations were true.
“(If the claims are true) it goes to show that Anwar is a man short on principles and willing to resort to anything to bolster parliamentary support, what more when one of those accused here is his former aide,” he said.
However, when asked if Anwar should respond to the claims, both Azmi and Ahmad Fauzi said that responding could raise further questions.
“It is crucial for Anwar’s reputation that the four MPs’ decisions be presented as totally being at their behest without any external pressure,” Ahmad Fauzi added.