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KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 — Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said that Perikatan Nasional (PN), as a whole, is fragile as a government and is unlikely to last until the next general election.
When speaking to Bloomberg, Anwar mounted his argument on how the PN government had even refused to conduct Parliamentary affairs in its usual manner, an obvious reference to the one-day sitting that took place yesterday.
“If the current government does actually have that confidence, they would have conducted the affairs of Parliament in a more usual manner, and they did not, giving the pretext or excuse of Covid-19.
“Clearly they were fearful of the success or possibility of success of the vote of non-confidence; so the issue of the legitimacy of the government is in question now,” he said during the recorded interview.
Anwar pointed out how PN are a coalition without a manifesto and clear policy direction, alleging coalition members being appointed onto influential ministerial and corporate positions was clear PN are only after the riches.
“This explains that this is not only a fragile government but also a fractured coalition,” he said.
The PN coalition helmed the government following a political scandal in late February that saw portions from PKR and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia join forces with PAS and Barisan Nasional to form the government.
During today’s interview, when pressed to answer if he was the candidate for prime minister should the opposition succeed in its no-confidence motion, Anwar dodged and said the focus was on maintaining the numbers within the Opposition bloc.
“It’s not an issue of personalities, people tend to talk about personalities,” said Anwar when asked if would be nominated as the Opposition’s prime ministerial candidate.
“I am the leader of the Opposition, I have got to make sure that the 107 (MPs) for now who are the Opposition members remain intact and committed to reform agenda.
“I will have to make sure the (Opposition) coalition remains enforced, strong, coherent, with a clear agenda,” he said.
