Confidence vote in newly sworn prime minister


NO Malaysian prime minister has ever been removed on the grounds of lost confidence of the MPS in the Dewan Rakyat. The simple reason is: no motion of loss of confidence in the prime minister has seen the light of day.

But two motions of confidence in incumbent prime ministers following a mid-term change of leadership were agreed on and passed by the Dewan Rakyat.

The first was a motion of confidence in prime minister Hussein Onn who was sworn in as prime minister on January 15, 1976 following the death of Abdul Razak Hussein in London on January 14, 1976.

On January 27, 1976 a motion of confidence in Hussien Onn was moved by Kuala Kedah MP Senu Abdul Rahman as follows:

“Bahawa Dewan dengan ini mengucapkan setinggi-tinggi tahniah atas perlantikan Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Hussein Onn sebagai Perdana Menteri dan menyatakan kepercayaan penuh terhadap pimpinan beliau dan berikrar memberikan kerjasama dan sokongan sepenuhnya kepada beliau bagi melaksanakan tugas dan tanggungjawabnya.”

After a two-hour debate, the motion was agreed and passed by the Dewan Rakyat.

The second motion of confidence was in prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who was sworn in on October 31, 2003 after Dr Mahathir Mohamad stepped down as the fourth prime minister.

Three days later, on November 3, 2003 a similar motion of confidence in Abdullah was moved by Shah Alam MP Mohd Zin Mohamed. The motion, made under Standing Order 27(3), read as follows:

“Dengan ini, semua Ahli Dewan Rakyat memperkasa keyakinan dan perpaduan dalam permuafakatan dan kesetiaan yang tidak berbelah-bagi terhadap Yang Amat Berhormat Ahli Parlimen bagi Kepala Batas selaku Perdana Menteri Malaysia; dan

Dengan ini, bahawasanya Dewan ini berdiri teguh sambil menyokong sepenuhnya pelantikan dan kepemimpinan Yang Amat Berhormat Ahli Parlimen bagi Kepala Batas selaku Perdana Menteri Malaysia yang kelima.”

Again, after a two-hour debate the motion was agreed and passed by the Dewan Rakyat.

None of the above motions was seen and taken as doubting the legitimacy of the new prime minister’s appointment and undermining the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s power.

Parliament is the third branch of a Westminster-style government. It is established by the constitution under chapter 4 and is vested by article 44(1) with the “legislative authority of the Federation”.

Article 62 mandates Parliament to regulate its own procedure. And article 63 confers constitutional privileges to Parliament in that “the validity of any proceedings in either House of Parliament or any committee thereof shall not be questioned in any court.”

As such, a motion of confidence in the prime minister after his appointment by the Agong is legit under article 43(2)(a). – September 4, 2021. 

* Hafiz Hassan reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.


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