Wait for Parliament to sit if you have the numbers, Anwar tells opposition

(FMT) – The opposition should wait until Parliament reconvenes if it has the numbers to form the government, says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

He said that if the opposition has statutory declarations from enough MPs to form the government, it can prove so in Parliament.

“However, I’m very confident that the unity government will remain for a full term until the next general election,” he told reporters after the launch of the Malaysian Red Crescent’s 75th anniversary celebration here today.

Anwar said there appeared to be talk of “changing the government every week”.

Speculation has been rife of a plot to topple Anwar after it was reported that 10 MPs who previously backed Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin after the 15th general election (GE15) were planning to force by-elections.

They were said to be planning to quit their parties, thereby invoking the anti-hopping law which would cause their seats to be vacated.

Anwar, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, had previously dismissed the rumours, saying there was no basis for them, and that his key allies – Barisan Nasional (BN), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) – were firmly behind him.

On Wednesday, a well-placed source said Istana Negara will not entertain any claim by any party that Anwar has lost majority support.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told FMT an abrupt change in government was unlikely, adding that “any attempt to change the government through the Palace will not happen”.

The source said if there was to be a change in government, it must be done either through a vote of no confidence or the dissolution of Parliament.