Ahmad Maslan: Unity government stable even if 9 PKR MPs turn independent
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan was referring to the nine PKR MPs, including former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, who recently called on the government to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the appointment of top judicial positions.
Ahmad, who is also deputy works minister, said the unity government currently holds 153 parliamentary seats.
"All parties contesting in a general election must secure more than two-thirds, or at least 112 parliamentary seats, to form a government.
"Even if nine PKR MPs decide to leave the party and become independents, the government remains strong, and Anwar's position as prime minister will not be affected.
"However, we are confident that Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, and the other seven PKR MPs will not leave the party to become independents," he said.
He was speaking at the Santai Komuniti Madani programme in Kampung Batu Rakit here today.
Ahmad, who is also the Pontian MP, was commenting on calls by 11 PKR division chiefs in Kedah and 19 in Johor for immediate disciplinary action and suspension of the nine MPs following their recent press conference urging the government to establish the RCI.
Ahmad also said that Rafizi and Nik Nazmi, who is the former natural resources and environmental sustainability minister, are leaders of integrity who prioritise national stability.
He said he believed Rafizi and Nik Nazmi, who are the MPs for Pandan and Setiawangsa respectively, would not leave the party because they value political stability and do not want to see the country suffer further political turmoil.
Ahmad said both leaders, known for their stance on stability, do not want a repeat of the political upheaval between 2018 and 2022, which saw multiple changes of prime ministers and caused setbacks for the nation.
On Monday, nine PKR MPs urged the government to establish an RCI to investigate alleged interference in judicial appointments and court decisions, an issue that has raised concerns over the independence of the judiciary.
Besides Rafizi and Nik Nazmi, others present at the press conference included Ampang MP Rodziah Ismail, Subang MP Wong Chen, Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan, Balik Pulau MP Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, and Ledang MP Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh.
Two other PKR MPs who did not attend the press conference but supported the call for judicial reform were Sungai Siput MP S. Kesavan and Batu Pahat MP Onn Abu Bakar.
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