KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said that he had not yet received any motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister from any party, including the opposition.
He said that, based on the rumours circulating, no Member of Parliament is expected to introduce such a motion during the upcoming parliamentary session starting on Oct 14.
"As of now, it's just talk. There's nothing official. I haven't received any written motion or communication via phone," he said at a press conference today.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had previously challenged the opposition to bring a motion of no confidence against him during next month's Dewan Rakyat session.
This challenge followed calls for the Tambun MP to resign made by several Pas representatives and leaders during the party's 70th Annual General Assembly in Temerloh last week.
This is not the first time Anwar has invited Perikatan Nasional (PN) to table such a motion; similar challenges were issued on Jan 11 and May 6 of last year.
Regarding the status of the six Bersatu MPs who were expelled from the party, Johari said that their position remained within the opposition bloc.
"They still consider themselves representatives of PN, so there is no need for them to change their status to join the government bloc or become independents.
"They remain as they are; they haven't left Bersatu. They are still part of the opposition. They assert that they are still with Bersatu. As far as I'm concerned, what they say stands. They are still with Bersatu and the opposition and have not requested to join the government bloc.
"So, their status quo remains unchanged within the opposition bloc in Parliament," he added.
During the previous parliamentary session, the six former Bersatu MPs, who were ordered to vacate their seats by the party after expressing support for Anwar, remained within the opposition bloc.
Their seats continue to be located at the back of Block E, following updates to the seating arrangement in the Dewan Rakyat in March.
The six MPs are Datuk Syed Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang), Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), and Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), who was also the Nenggiri assemblyman.