IPOH, Feb 25 — The Malaysian Bar today echoed the advice of the Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas that the political turmoil the country is facing right now be settled by the Dewan Rakyat.
Its president Abdul Fareed Abdul Gafoor said that a vote of confidence could be taken and debated during the seating against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad, who was appointed interim prime minister hours after resigning as the seventh prime minister yesterday.
“If indeed the Pakatan Harapan has lost its majority, then efforts need to be made to ascertain who is now able to command the confidence of the majority in the Dewan Rakyat, to be appointed the prime minister.
“In this regard, we echo the advice of the government’s chief legal adviser, that the way forward is to have this matter determined by the Dewan Rakyat when it reconvenes on March 10,” he said in a statement.
Abdul Fareed also advises the rulers to be cautious against the reliance on Statutory Declarations (SDs) to determine the support of MPs, since the authenticity of such SDs can be disputed.
“Any attempt to form a new government through political horse trading must be avoided especially if it negates the aspirations of the electorate, as this would lead to unnecessary controversy and raise questions of legitimacy,” he added.
He also said that the political turmoil the country is now experiencing is unprecedented in the history of this nation.
“The Malaysian Bar views with great concern, events over the past few days, which have led to several MPs leaving the PH coalition. Rumours also abound as to attempt to form a new ruling coalition,” he said.
“Political stability is essential in these challenging economic times and we call on all parties to behave in a calm and mature manner, having due regard to our Constitutional framework.
“The interest of the nation and its people should prevail over all other personal or partisan interests,” he said.
