Special Dewan Rakyat sitting off, Johor gets new MB

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 -- The special Dewan Rakyat sitting slated for Monday to elect the country's eighth prime minister to end the ongoing political crisis in the country, which entered its sixth day today following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, is off for now.

Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof said the letter of notification calling for the special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat which he received from interim Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was not in accordance with Standing Order 11(3) of the Dewan Rakyat as it was not followed by a complete notice of motion.

“According to the standing order, the notice and date of the meeting will be issued by me as the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat,” he said in a statement.

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir had announced the special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat will be held on March 2 to determine the candidate who has the majority support to be appointed the next prime minister, failing which a snap election will be called.

Meanwhile, Istana Negara will give a chance to political parties with representatives in the Dewan Rakyat to nominate candidates for the post of prime minister. 

This was stated in a statement issued by the Comptroller of the Royal Household, Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, today.

“Istana Negara will contact the heads of political parties with representatives in the Dewan Rakyat to give them an opportunity to nominate names of Dewan Rakyat members for the post of prime minister,” it said.

Following the palace statement, Barisan Nasional (BN), PAS and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) named Bersatu president and Pagoh Member of Parliament Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as their candidate for the post of prime minister for consideration by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

Pakatan Harapan, which is now left with  PKR, DAP and Amanah after Bersatu quit the ruling coalition and causing it to collapse on Monday, issued a statement saying it believed its candidate Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had the highest nominations during the MPs’ one-on-one interviews with the King and is seeking an audience with His Majesty pertaining to this. 

Another major development was news that Tan Sri Tommy Thomas resigned as Attorney-General today. 

Down south, Johor saw a new menteri besar (MB) appointed after a change in government in the state.

Benut assemblyman Datuk Hasni Mohammad of UMNO was sworn in as the new MB of Johor before Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar at Istana Bukit Serene here today.

Hasni, 61, who is the Johor BN chairman and state UMNO chief, was picked as the state’s 18th MB following yesterday's formation of the Gabungan Baharu coalition government comprising UMNO-led BN, PAS and Bersatu. 

The previous PH-led state government made up of PKR, DAP, Bersatu and Amanah lost its majority after Bersatu pulled out of the coalition on Monday.

Outside the political front, the state also saw the kick-off of the season opener of the 2020 M-League between Johor Darul Taázim and Kedah (Charity Shield match) at the spanking new Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Larkin here. 

Despite all the political going-ons, the stadium was packed to the brim.

On the economic front, Bursa Malaysia ended in the red today as the ongoing political turmoil remained unresolved, clouding the country’s outlook, and led to heightened selling pressure among foreign investors. 

At the close, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 1.52 per cent or 22.95 points to 1,482.64, after opening 20.69 points lower at 1,484.90 points at 9 am.

-- BERNAMA