PKR’s no-confidence motion likely to fail

PETALING JAYA: PKR’s plan to move a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak at the next Parliament sitting will most likely fail.

Forget the number of MPs the proponents may line up to support the motion, even if there is indeed a plan with some Barisan Nasional MPs to support it.

The snag to the plan is that the Dewan Rakyat Speaker has the ultimate say on whether the motion of no-confidence can even be tabled.

This in fact happened in 2008 when Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia rejected an emergency motion of noconfidence filed by the opposition against then prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his Cabinet.

Pandikar’s reason was that the Opposition had used “the wrong choice of words” when trying to table the motion.

Opposition MPs walked out in protest when the motion was rejected, but Abdullah and his Cabinet stayed untouched.

“It happened in 2008; the bid was thrown out and nothing was done,” constitutional lawyer Tommy Thomas told theSun.

“It happened before ... so why can’t it happen again?” he asked.

PKR lawyer Latheefa Koya concurs, saying the party will have little chance to even get the motion tabled for debate and be voted upon.

“Yes, the Speaker can prevent it by not allowing it to be debated. This is what happens to all opposition motions. They remain on the order paper undebated.”

Asked if there is any proviso in the Standing Orders that allows for a situation where the Speaker’s discretion is negated, for example if a percentage of MPs in the House supports the tabling of the motion, she said there was not.

“In the United Kingdom, the convention is that a no-confidence motion must be allowed to be debated. It is unthinkable for the Speaker of the UK Parliament to prevent it being debated, but not so here,” she added.

On Sunday, PKR women’s wing chief Zuraida Kamaruddin had expressed confidence that the party will be able to garner enough support to pass the noconfidence vote in Parliament.

Currently, of the 222 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat, 134 are from tghe BN, 37 (DAP), PAS (21), PKR (28), Parti Sosialis Malaysia (one) and one independent. –