KUALA LUMPUR: Pas is adamant about tabling a vote of confidence motion against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
This was despite the Prime Minister re-iterating his commitment that he will hand over the nation’s chief executive post after the Asia Pacific Economic (APEC) Summit this November.
Pas deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the Islamic party had taken the position that the people have the right to know who will lead the nation after Dr Mahathir steps down.
“We will continue (the vote of confidence on the Prime Minister). The people have the right to know who will lead the nation. The post of the Prime Minister is the right of the people and not something which belongs to a certain party,” he said.
Tuan Ibrahim said Pas would not continue with the vote of confidence if there are other quarters seeking to table a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister.
“If there is a vote of no confidence, Pas would not need to table the vote of confidence whose purpose is the same,” he said.
Tuan Ibrahim was commenting on Dr Mahathir reiterating that he would keep his promise of handing over power to his successor after the APEC Summit in November.
He said the move to table the vote of confidence was not something new as a similar motion was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in 1997 by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who was then Deputy Prime Minister to back Dr Mahathir.
“The Prime Minister needs to receive the mandate and the support to continue his leadership,” he said.
Meanwhile, Umno Secretary-General Tan Sri Annuar Musa in a posting at his Twitter account said the transfer of power involving the Prime Minister's post would not be an issue if Anwar receives sufficient backing from within Pakatan Harapan law makers.
He said opposition members of Parliament need not be involved in the transfer of power issue as the matter only involved PH which is the ruling political pact.
“The vote of confidence and the matter which involves the replacement of the 7th Prime Minister with that of the 8th Prime Minister is a PH government’s business.
“If the 7th Prime Minister agrees to step down and he says after the APEC in November and Anwar gets the backing of 112 out of the 138 PH MP’s then there is no issue.
“However, if 26 or more MPs from PH do not agree?”
The issue involving the transition of power of the Prime Minister returned to the limelight after several political leaders, especially those PKR called for a clearer date for the handover date, with the PH Presidential Council set to meet on Feb 21 to resolve the matter.