'SD needed to change government'

SHAH ALAM – A statutory declaration (SD) is still required as proof of support for any Member of Parliament (MP) to be appointed as the new Prime Minister if there is to be a change of government.

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Administrative Science and Policy Studies Faculty, Political Science senior Dr Ariff Aizuddin Azlan said the SD would also prove that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had really lost the support of the majority of Dewan Rakyat members.

"With the SD, it will determine who will be the Prime Minister's successor based on the support given by the MPs who signed the document.

"In this context, the SD does not need to be two-thirds of the 222 total members of the Dewan Rakyat because a simple majority is enough, which is 112 MPs," he told Sinar yesterday.

However, Ariff said a political bloc cannot rely entirely on a simple majority to ensure that a strong government could be established.

He said it was feared that the opposing party would react and thus undermine the political stability of the country as happened when Malaysia was hit by a political crisis before.

"So, the position needs to be strengthened by getting at least the support of two-thirds of the members of the Dewan Rakyat," he said.