PKR president Anwar Ibrahim today described the failure of two PKR assemblymen to attend yesterday’s Malacca assembly vote to elect Halim Bachik as senator as unacceptable. 

Anwar said he will meet both Ginie Lim and Muhamad Jailani Khamis to get their side of story on why they were absent yesterday. 

“I am in touch with them. I am supposed to meet them today or communicate with them.

“That is, of course, not acceptable because they have to respect the decision of the state and our position is they must support the chief minister’s decision,” the Port Dickson MP told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

Asked if their absence had anything to do with the infighting in the party, Anwar said it shouldn’t be the case.

“Infighting or not, the decision of the state and the party must be respected.” 

Anwar was also asked if the no-show is linked to reports of an attempt to bring down the Malacca government led by Amanah’s Adly Zahari.

“I don’t think so. But in terms of our party, we will defend the (Pakatan) Harapan government, including the Malacca chief minister.”

It was reported that the Malacca assembly’s motion yesterday to nominate state PKR chief Halim Bachik as senator was defeated by one vote.

PH had 12 votes to the opposition’s 13.

PH has 15 reps in Malacca’s 28-seat assembly. Besides Lim (Machap Jaya) and Jailani (Rembia), the only other PH assemblyman absent was G. Saminathan (DAP-Gadek), who is being detained over his alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

After the motion was rejected, state opposition leader Idris Haron (BN-Sg Udang) proposed that the house nominate Malacca Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusoh as senator, and asked that the matter be put to a vote immediately.

This triggered an argument in the assembly. Things settled down only after consultations with state legal adviser Mohamad Abazafree Mohd Abbas, who said the speaker must be notified of any motion beforehand.

Malacca Speaker Omar Jaafar then adjourned the proceedings.

The state assembly sitting ends today. – November 26, 2019.