PAKATAN Harapan’s downfall resulted from Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s resignation as prime minister and the pact’s own shortcomings, Perikatan Nasional MPs told the Dewan Rakyat today.

The topic came up when lawmakers were debating a motion by Ahmad Maslan (Pontian-BN) to pass a motion of thanks for the royal address.

“We are the government today because Langkawi (Dr Mahathir) resigned (as prime minister),” said Ahmad.

“We (Barisan Nasional) initially signed statutory declarations supporting Dr Mahathir, but he resigned, and the SDs weren’t used.

“Pagoh (Muhyiddin Yassin) then stepped up to save the country.”

MPs earlier debated the use of the phrase “backdoor government” by PH members of the House, asking Deputy Speaker Azalina Othman Said to rule on the matter.

Ahmad said PN is “a government formed by the palace”, and as such, cannot be called a backdoor administration.

Bung Moktar Radin (Kinabatangan-BN) said PN did not cause PH’s collapse.

“PH burned its own ship down and lost its captain (Dr Mahathir). We only stepped in to build a new government after that.”

His Umno colleague, Jalaluddin Alias (Jelebu-BN), said PH fell because voters rejected its policies.

“Dr Mahathir resigned because he was upset with the performance of his cabinet, which had become a problem for the country after 22 months.”

Several PH lawmakers, such as Hanipa Maidin (Sepang), K. Muthusamy (Padang Serai) and Ngeh Koo Ham (Beruas), tried to explain why PN is a backdoor government, but were unable to respond to arguments that PH fell only after Dr Mahathir quit.

Another PN claim that went uncontested was that PH parliamentarians did not vote for Dr Mahathir when the Agong met all MPs individually on February 25 and 26 to assess who they backed as prime minister.

Ahmad Nazlan Idris (Jerantut-BN) said Dr Mahathir could have proven that he had majority support then.

“If PH had supported him when they met the king, its government would not have fallen.”

BN and PAS lawmakers expressed their desire for fresh polls, while Bersatu, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Parti Warisan Sabah threw their support behind Dr Mahathir to continue as prime minister. PH MPs, meanwhile, backed PKR president Anwar Ibrahim for the top job.

The king then met the heads of political parties after finding no clear majority for a candidate.

The palace later announced that Muhyiddin had majority support, with BN, PAS, GPS and several Sabah MPs in his corner. – July 14, 2020.