KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 — PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan has insisted Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration was a “minority government” and not a national unity government.
According a Berita Harian report, he claimed this was because Pakatan Harapan (PH) did not gain a simple majority on its own in the 15th general election.
“Pakatan Harapan had 82 seats, Perikatan Nasional (PN) had 72 seats. Therefore, the PH leader had the majority, yet was then unable to form the government.
“Because of that, I say that the current government is not a unity government, instead a minority government,” he was quoted as saying.
Anwar was appointed the prime minister after the support of Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Parti Sarawak gave him more than the 112 seats needed for a simple majority; Gabungan Rakyat Sabah has since added to this.
By Takiyuddin’s rationale, a PN administration would also have been a minority government as it similarly did not win more than 112 seats in GE15.
His argument also would have meant the 2020 administration of PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was a “minority government” as Barisan Nasional is not a component of the coalition.
In the same report, Takiyuddin said his party has not received notice of the confidence vote Anwar previously said would be called during the parliamentary meeting on December 19.
“For me, when a prime minister brings such a motion to Parliament, it means that that prime minister at that moment has yet to get the confidence of the majority of Dewan Rakyat members,” he was quoted as saying.
“In the constitution, for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to appoint someone as the prime minister, the person may have the trust of the Dewan Rakyat.”
However, Takiyuddin appeared to contradict himself by saying that the prime minister could alternately bring a motion of confidence before Parliament.
The PAS secretary-general’s latest remarks appear consistent with the previous vacillation on Anwar’s appointment as prime minister.
Last Thursday, PAS insisted the PH chairman had no “moral legitimacy” to occupy the post.
One day later, Takiyuddin congratulated Anwar on the Islamist party's behalf over his appointment as the prime minister.
