KUALA LUMPUR – Persistent talk of the unity government’s collapse indicates Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) desperation that more of their lawmakers may soon jump ship and declare their support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, an Amanah leader said.
Amanah vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar said such talk betrayed the opposition’s anxiety, and showed the reality that Anwar’s government is in fact stable.
Mahfuz, who is also Kedah Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, singled out Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, who recently insisted the government would collapse soon.
“When Sanusi acts like that, he affects the larger economy and also the state’s economy. Investors may assess that the political situation in Malaysia is unstable.
“Whereas, the situation is quite stable with the prime minister having the support of two-thirds of the Dewan Rakyat. Therefore, PN leaders, especially Sanusi, need to present themselves more intelligently,” Mahfuz said, as reported by Utusan Malaysia.
On January 3, Sanusi said he was confident Anwar’s government would collapse soon, saying plans to overthrow it had long been in motion.
The Kedah MB’s remarks followed talk of the failed Langkah Dubai, a purported gathering of opposition figures and certain government leaders in the United Arab Emirates late last month to identify government MPs who could be persuaded to switch sides.
On December 30, Community Communications Department (J-Kom) deputy director Datuk Ismail Yusop became the first government officer to talk about Langkah Dubai in a public social media post, claiming opposition MPs and some government lawmakers were orchestrating a plot to bring down the unity government.
Several ministers have panned the supposed plot, which sacked Umno leader Datuk Lokman Noor Adam claimed was backed by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his ally, former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin.
Dr Mahathir, for his part, has denied any involvement in Langkah Dubai.
Such remarks about the collapse of Anwar’s government have occasionally circulated since it was formed after the general election in November 2022. – January 7, 2024