COMMENT | Are we a systematic, healthy and mature democracy?

COMMENT | When Attorney-General Idrus Harun gave a statement saying that there are no clear facts to show that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin no longer enjoys majority support in Parliament, I had to agree with him. He went on to explain that any form of motion of no confidence or determination of majority cannot be done through press statements and needs to be done by MPs.

Oh, the context, in case you didn’t know, is that a few days ago, the single largest political party with representation in Parliament withdrew its support for the prime minister and the Perikatan Nasional government. It wasn’t done in Parliament. They had a supreme council meeting and then held a press conference.

Of course, there are more details, such as Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob being promoted to become deputy prime minister and regular member who holds no position in the party, Hishammuddin Hussein, also being promoted to senior minister. I’m sure you all know the background of the drama.

Well, if it is in a systematic, healthy and mature democracy, a statement like that would actually lead to a session in Parliament. The prime minister would have to prove that he has majority support and the opposition would have to prove that he doesn’t. Then, it would go to a vote and either the incumbent stays or goes.

But, in Malaysia Land, apa pun boleh! Governments have changed just from accumulated statutory declarations, secret political party meetings and from different press conferences...