PETALING JAYA: All component parties in the unity government have reaffirmed their commitment to support the administration until the end of its term, says government spokesman Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi, who is also Communications Minister, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed appreciation for the support at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.
“The Prime Minister expressed appreciation for the commitment shown by all component parties, particularly Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), which reaffirmed that they will continue to support and remain with the unity government until the end of its term.
“This commitment reflects the priority given to the interests of the people and the country, while enabling the government to focus fully on efforts to address economic challenges arising from the crisis in the Middle East.
“It also ensures that the welfare of the people continues to be safeguarded,” Fahmi said at a post-Cabinet press conference.
On May 16, Johor Mentri Besar and state Barisan chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the coalition would contest all 56 state seats in the next Johor election.
The following day, Anwar, delivering the keynote address of the Pakatan Harapan convention in Johor Baru, said a snap general election could take place if cracks continued to form within the unity government.
Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan chairman, told the convention that he was hearing a lot of rumours on the ground.
“At the moment the relationship at the federal level is cordial. But if they decide to go against the agreements, then the elections will not only just be in Johor and other states,” he said during the event, mentioning Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Pahang and Penang.
On May 19, Barisan secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the coalition would continue to preserve understanding within the unity government until the end of the administration’s mandate to ensure national stability and the well-being of the people.
Asked whether the possibility of a snap election was discussed at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Fahmi said the matter was briefly touched on.
“The Prime Minister had previously spoken on this matter during the Pakatan convention and it relates to what has been mentioned where component parties reiterated their support for the unity government until the end of its term,” he said.
Meanwhile, when asked whether the resignations of Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad were discussed, Fahmi said no specific discussions had taken place.
“We were only briefed on preparations for the Dewan Rakyat sitting, which will begin on June 22, including the fact that two former MPs had vacated their seats. That was all that was communicated,” he said.
On May 17, former Economy Minister Rafizi and former Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi announced that they were leaving PKR to join Parti Bersama Malaysia.
They said their respective parliamentary seats of Pandan and Setiawangsa would be vacated with effect from May 18.
