August 4th, Malaysian Prime Minister Mohiuddin said he still had the support of a majority of members of parliament and would file a motion of confidence at a parliamentary session in September to prove he was still a legitimate prime minister.
Recently, the Government’s withdrawal of the emergency regulation procedure is legal, again causing concern. When the lower house of parliament resumed on 26 July, the cabinet suddenly announced that it would not renew the state of emergency, and all six emergency regulations had been lifted since the 21st.
The statement drew the ire of opposition parties, who said the government’s move was improper and suspected of being unconstitutional. The state palace later issued a statement saying that the supreme head of state had not approved the government to lift the emergency regulations.
Despite the Prime Minister’s Office’s subsequent explanation that the procedure was legal, opposition leader Anwar, former Prime Minister Mahathir and Najib have all issued public statements calling for the resignation of Muhiddin and his cabinet.
August 3rd Zahid, chairman of UMNO, the largest party in the ruling coalition, also issued a statement saying UMNO would withdraw its support for Muhiddin and the NLD government.
Under Malaysia’s constitution, the prime minister must resign if he fails to secure a majority in the lower house of parliament unless the supreme leader dissolves parliament at the prime minister’s suggestion.
