Unity Govt fishing MPs to strengthen power, Bersatu men claims

SHAH ALAM - In the world of Malaysian politics, the Unity Government has allegedly been casting its net, fishing for Members of Parliament (MPs) to fortify their coalition and tighten their grip on authority.

Two Bersatu MPs told Sinar Daily that though they were never approached, a handful has and at least six more were planning to pledge their support to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

This, one said, was on top of the four that has already announced their support for Anwar. The four Bersatu men were Jeli MP Zahari Kechik, Gua Musang MP Mohd Azizi Abu Naim, Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman and Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid.

Zahari, however, was quick to clarify in a statement that he remains loyal to Bersatu and was still a party member. As for Iskandar, the Bersatu disciplinary board had suspended him from the party for four years.

“It’s quite obvious,” one of the two MP said on the question whether the Unity Government were seeking numbers to strengthen the position.

Meanwhile, the other MP cited the Madani Budget for 2024 as a possibility for the move; “I think PMX (Anwar) may be afraid the budget won't go through”.

In September, the government, which was formed through the cooperation of 14 political parties, had 147 MPs out of 222 parliamentary seats. This was one less seat to become a two-thirds majority (148 seats) following Muda’s Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman move to withdraw support back in Sept 10.

With that decision, the total for the opposition is 74, including one seat through Syed Saddiq.

Come October, Iskandar declared his support for Anwar on the 12th while Suhaili came out to declare his support for Anwar on the 30th. Suhaili confirmed yesterday that day that he has received allocations for his constituency but declined to reveal the amount.

Kelantan Bersatu’s Azizi, on Nov 7, became the third person to support Anwar, stating that it had to be done for the sake and betterment of the people in his constituency. Zahari announced his move to support a day later on Nov 8.

Following these moves, the Unity Government now has 151 MPs and holds two-thirds majority.