KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is expected to show support for Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in a motion of no confidence in parliament.
Political expert Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said this is due to the positive outcome after GPS’s decision to form the Perikatan Nasional (PN) plus GPS alliance.
“Moreover, the Sarawak government recently received a RM2 billion payment from Petronas for a five per cent Sales and Services Tax (SST) for the year 2019,” he told New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
Awang Azman said GPS would certainly continue its relationship with the prime minister seeing how Putrajaya had now become more aware of Sarawak’s claims despite a slowdown in the oil and petroleum sector due to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.
On the outcome of a vote of no confidence against the prime minister, Awang Azman said Muhyiddin, as the prime minister and government of the day, was in a good position to strengthen his position.
“Appointment of government linked companies’ chairman, bargaining, negotiating and distributing allotments are part of the efforts to maintain support to avoid losing votes.
“Unless former prime minister (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) comes up with a powerful strategy to attract MPs at the time of the vote,” he added.
He explained that on paper, it was difficult for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition to take back power because most of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party’s (Bersatu) MPs are still in support of Muhyiddin’s leadership.
Additionally, Awang Azman said Dr Mahathir’s motion of no confidence against Muhyiddin would unlikely be debated as the Dewan Rakyat had only been scheduled for a one-day meet on May 18.
He said the earliest that the motion could be debated would be in July.
