KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — Barisan Nasional secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa has suggested there is nothing wrong with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin being prime minister even though his party Bersatu holds the smallest number of seats in the Dewan Rakyat.
Annuar said this is possible as long as the person nominated prime minister commands the support of the majority and cited the case of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as an example, The Malaysian Insight reported today.
“Although Umno has more seats, it did not ask [for the PM’s post] because it was through the coalition that we overthrew the previous government,” he was quoted saying.
He said Umno had agreed when Muhyiddin was picked to be prime minister and that it is now incumbent on its MPs to fully back the Bersatu president, even if Umno now as a party controlled the most number of seats in the Dewan Rakyat.
“When we elect a person to be the prime minister, it is our responsibility to give our full support to the latter.
“Not just elect, then bring him down. If we bring him down, then things will be unstable and we will be impacted, too, as we’re in the coalition as well.
“So, this is what we call collective responsibility. Numbers do not matter anymore because there is trust,” Annuar was quoted saying.
A growing number of Umno politicians, including its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, have openly called for a motion of confidence to be taken against Muhyiddin in Parliament.
Annuar who is Federal Territories minister has come under friendly fire for his defence of Muhyiddin in recent days.
The Keterah MP pointed out that when Dr Mahathir became prime minister, the latter was in Bersatu, which also did not command the most seats of the four parties then in the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
