PAKATAN Harapan is only 20 seats away from having a two-thirds majority in Parliament as members from the opposition continue to jump over to the coalition after the 14th general election (GE14).

As of today, the coalition, which is made up of PKR, DAP, Bersatu and Amanah, has 119 federal seats with the help of the defectors. Meanwhile, PH’s ally in Sabah, Warisan, has nine seats under it, bringing the total to 128.

At present, it also has the backing of 13 independent MPs who left Barisan Nasional.

The coalition needs 148 seats to reach the two-thirds mark in the Dewan Rakyat, which has 222 seats.

PKR’s seats have increased to 50 from 47 since GE14 after independent members, P. Prabakaran (Batu), Jugah Muyang (Lubok Antu) and Larry Sng (Julau) joined the party.

Bersatu has also accepted three new MPs – Mustapa Mohamed (Jeli), Noor Azmi Ghazali (Bagan Serai) and Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (Masjid Tanah) to bring the total number of federal seats to 16. All three were previously from Umno.

Another former Umno elected representative that has jumped is Labuan MP Rozman Isli, who joined Warisan in October.

So far Umno has lost a total of 17 MPs out of the 54 seats BN won in GE14. While four of its defecting MPs have either joined Bersatu or Warisan, the rest are presently independents although they are all widely tipped to join Bersatu or Warisan.

Last Wednesday, Sabah Umno was in disarray after 16 leaders, including nine assemblymen, five MPs and two senators, left. The five MPs are Abdul Rahim Bakri (Kudat), Azizah Mohd Dun (Beaufort), Ronald Kiandee (Beluran), Zakaria Mohd Edris (Libaran) and Yamani Hafez Musa (Sipitang).

Universiti Malaya political analyst Associate Professor Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said PH will obtain five more seats if MPs from Sabah decide to join either one of the parties under it.

“There are three more seats under Gabungan Bersatu Sabah (GBS) which are Keningau held by STAR, Pensiangan held by PBRS and Kota Marudu held by PBS. With this total, PH is expected to get 136 seats in all.

“This does not include all the other seats formerly held by Umno members who have now become independent before joining Bersatu.

“This is expected to fulfil the two-thirds majority if there is no objection from DAP, PKR and Amanah,” he told The Malaysian Insight.   

On Friday, Umno took another hit when six more MPs left BN. They were Hamzah Zainudin (Larut), Rosol Wahid (Hulu Terengganu), Shabudin Yahaya (Tasek Gelugor), Mohd Faisah Mohd Fakeh (Sabah Bernam), Latiff Ahmad (Mersing) and Ikmal Hisham (Tanah Merah).

With the exit of 17 MPs, Umno is currently down to 37 seats in Parliament.

After his exit, Hamzah said 36 BN lawmakers have signed a pledge of allegiance to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PH. He added that the matter was decided about a month ago.

The situation in Umno is getting even more critical as there are calls for its president, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, to step down.

However, the Bagan Datuk MP said he will only step down if there is a demand from two-thirds of the delegates in a special party general assembly.

Political analyst Professor Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani said PH needs a two-thirds majority to make constitutional amendments, such as electoral reform.

“Clearly PH needs two-thirds majority for reforms which require an amendment of the constitution, such as electoral reform that requires system change. (An) anti-hopping law can be introduced if the constitution is amended.

“Institutional reforms need two-thirds majority of Parliament, therefore, the majority is important,” he The Malaysian Insight.

When asked if Gabungan Parti Sarawak is willing to assist PH in amending the constitution, he said GPS is still considered as a party that is yet to be Pakatan-friendly.

“They have never shown that they will support the PH government on reforms.”

GPS was formed on June 12 and is a coalition of four parties – Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), the Sarawak United People’s Party, Parti Rakyat Sarawak and the Progressive Democratic Party. Its registration was approved last month.

Political analyst Dr Wong Chin Huat asked why would the opposition be against constitutional reforms that would also benefit them.

“Hence, we must not be fooled to think reforms are necessarily obstructed by opposition just because the government has no two-thirds,” Wong said. – December 17, 2018.