KUALA LUMPUR — Mr Muhyiddin Yassin’s position as a Malaysia’s Prime Minister is not legitimate unless he can prove he has the majority support in Parliament when he took his oath of office, said his predecessor Mahathir Mohamad.

In a video statement on Wednesday (May 13), Dr Mahathir said that by disallowing any form of debate in the Dewan Rakyat when MPs meet on May 18, Mr Muhyiddin has lost the opportunity to prove that he does have the support of the Lower House.

"I don’t think Muhyiddin’s appointment is legitimate. When he took his oath of office, he swore he has the majority support. I want to know if this is true and the House can determine if at the material time he swore the oath, did he have the majority support?

“Now he said he has the majority support because he has offered many positions to even my supporters. But at the material time, did he have evidence of the majority? We have 114 signatures supporting a different candidate.

“Even though it was someone else’s decision (to appoint Mr Muhyiddin), but because Parliament didn’t convene, the matter was never raised. By law, the Agong (King) will appoint the person he believes to have the majority support of the Lower House.

"This can be determined when the Lower House meets, but we are not allowed to meet. This means there’s no support for Muhyiddin as prime minister because the Lower House cannot convene to determine whether or not he has majority support on the day he took his oath," he said.

Dr Mahathir, who is also the chairman for Mr Muhyiddin’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, questioned the point of the one-day meeting when no debates after the King’s address are allowed.

The Langkawi MP claimed that the government’s decision on this matter is unlawful and is against the House’s regulations and Standing Orders.

Dr Mahathir had submitted a motion of no confidence against Mr Muhyiddin which was approved for debate by Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Ariff said the Dewan Rakyat proceeding on May 18 will end immediately after the King delivers the Royal Address with no debate scheduled for the remainder of the day.

The decision was reached by Mr Muhyiddin on health concerns, Mr Ariff said in a statement issued this afternoon, citing the ongoing government effort to contain Covid-19.

Mr Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration has received multiple criticisms and brickbats from all facets of society, especially the online community, since he took office and especially after he announced the one-day Parliament meeting.

Even Mr Muhyiddin’s own allies from Umno have attacked him for not giving enough seats to bigger component parties in the ruling coalition, with Umno’s number two Mohamad Hasan claiming that PN does not exist as it was never officially formalised. MALAY MAIL