HANG TUAH JAYA - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should not bow to Umno’s pressure to dissolve Parliament, as the authority to decide on a Cabinet reshuffle rests entirely with him, says DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke.
The former Transport Minister said Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s remarks on the matter represented his personal opinion, stressing that even the Deputy Prime Minister had no authority to determine whether a Cabinet reshuffle should take place.
He believed there were attempts to capitalise on the current political momentum to pressure Anwar into dissolving Parliament, but expressed confidence that the Prime Minister would not give in.
"The Prime Minister still has a mandate and sufficient support in Parliament to continue governing. His mandate still has another year to run.
Although I have resigned from the Cabinet, we give our full support to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to continue governing the country.
"So, there is absolutely no need to bow to the pressure Umno is trying to exert on the Prime Minister. We know their political games," he told reporters after Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Ceramah Perdana at Taman Mutiara Melaka, Batu Berendam, tonight.
Loke added that if Umno believed it could no longer work with or respect Anwar, it should reconsider its political support rather than pressure the Prime Minister to dissolve Parliament.
On the decision allowing former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, Loke urged all parties to respect the authority of the Malay Rulers, the Federal Constitution and the country's laws.
He acknowledged that the decision could be difficult for some members of the public to accept, but said it must nevertheless be respected.
"Yes, of course, I believe many people would also find it difficult to accept the fact that Najib can serve his sentence under house arrest, but I believe we must respect the authority of the King, the Constitution and the laws of this country.
"We accept the decision and whether we agree with it or not, we can express our choice through the ballot box," he said.