Parliament: No vote against PM (updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat will not be tabling a vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the moment.

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Pakatan Rakyat Members of Parliament (MPs) instead wanted to focus their attention on the Budget, which he claimed was now outdated in view of the current global economic turmoil.

He also vowed to work together with the Barisan Nasional Government to overcome the economic crisis brought on by the collapse of various financial institutions in the United States and Europe.

“You want it to happen? For now, we will focus on the Budget.

“We really need to handle this well, we have to work together to save this country,” he told reporters after reading his maiden speech as Opposition leader in Parliament.

He said the Opposition’s willingness to work with the Government was why Pakatan was giving its proposals and highlighting information on corruption.

“We want to talk, but they have ignored us. We want them to listen to our views,” he said.

Anwar has threatened to table a vote of no-confidence against Abdullah after the former passed his Sept 16 deadline to take over the government, claiming he had the necessary number of Barisan MPs willing to cross over.

He called on Abdullah to hold an emergency Parliament session before Sept 23 for the no-confidence vote to be tabled.