Tok Mat: Constitution 'non-negotiable', Muhyiddin must step down immediately

Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan. -The Star filepic

SEREMBAN: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin must step down immediately as Prime Minister after having clearly lost majority support in Parliament, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

The Umno deputy president said failure to do so would have significant legal repercussions on government decisions.

Mohamad, who is also Rantau assemblyman, said the legitimacy and constitutionality of every decision made by the executive can be challenged in future if Muhyiddin does not step down.

"The Prime Minister is using the Constitution for political mileage instead of preserving the integrity of the prime minister’s office.

"He has clearly lost his legitimacy after losing the support of the majority and if he doesn't step down immediately, this will put the government in a difficult position, exposing it to a multitude of legal disputes and risk of financial loss," he said in a statement Saturday (Aug 14).

He said the executive has to take the right action and uphold the Constitution and prevent the nation from continuing to spiral down in the midst of this constitutional disarray.

Mohamad added that they were also duty bound to assist the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to carry out his Constitutional duties rather than complicating it.

Mohamad said the Prime Minister seems to be the only one defending a position that can "no longer be defended."

"He should know that the Constitution is non-negotiable," he said, adding that nothing was more important to a prime minister than fulfilling his responsibilities within the limits and mandate provided by the Constitution.

On Friday (Aug 13), Muhyiddin in a special address said the Perikatan Nasional government would seek bipartisan support following the current political uncertainties.

The government, he said, needed the support of the Opposition parties during the motion of confidence in Parliament in efforts to bring the country out of this crisis.

Mohamad said various political parties and MPs have also released statements rejecting the Prime Minister’s leadership.

"The news that Istana Negara has written to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker to confirm the number of MPs supporting the Prime Minister clearly proves that the palace is very sceptical of the claims made by the Prime Minister that he still holds majority support.

"This is an unprecedented turn of events and casts doubt upon the credibility of the Prime Minister’s statements and actions," Mohamad added.