THE Perikatan Nasional government took its first blow of the day when Energy and Natural Resources Minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah resigned from the cabinet, citing his party’s call for him to do it.

Barely moments had passed since the Lenggong MP’s bombshell when Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said his party has presented evidence to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to show which of its MPs have withdrawn support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Zahid said Muhyiddin’s position as prime minister has lost its legitimacy and that he should resign.

Umno, the largest party in the ruling coalition has 38 MPs, but Zahid today did not state how many had signed statutory declarations withdrawing their support for Muhyiddin.

Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan told reporters this evening at the party’s headquarters to expect more Umno ministers to quit.

He said it was a matter of hours or days before his fellow lawmakers left the cabinet.

However, the Pontian MP did not name which of his colleagues would do so.

After Shamsul’s departure, Umno will have eight ministers in the cabinet: Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob; Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein; Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin; Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa; Health Minister Dr Adham Baba; Higher Education Minister Noraini Ahmad; Youth and Sports Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican; and National Unity Minister Halimah Mohamed Sadique.

Among them, Ismail Sabri, Hishammuddin and Annuar Musa are those who have publicly and repeatedly voiced their backing for Muhyiddin. 

However, even within the past 48 hours, Ismail Sabri has said that 40 Barisan Nasional MPs will continue to back the Muhyiddin government, as rumours swirled about its imminent collapse.

Meanwhile, besides the nine ministers, Umno also has eight deputy ministers: Mastura Mohd Yazid (deputy minister in the prime minister’s department), Mohd Shahar Abdullah (deputy finance minister II), Ismail Mohamed Said (deputy minister of home affairs I), Ahmad Masrizal Muhmammad (deputy minister of environment and water), Ahmad Hamzah (deputy minister of agriculture and food industries I), Ismail Abdul Muttalib (deputy minister of housing and local government), Abdul Rahman Mohamad (deputy minister of rural development), and Zahidi Zainul Abidin (deputy minister of communication and multimedia). – August 3, 2021.