PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional will throw its full support behind Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the vote of confidence in Parliament on Dec 19, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Saying Anwar’s appointment as the 10th Prime Minister had been approved by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Barisan chairman urged all parties to respect the wisdom of the decision.
“Let us together uphold and respect the appointment made by His Majesty, which is in accordance with the Federal Constitution.
“As such, we need to move forward and accept the King’s decision and build the nation towards stability and sustainability.
“Based on the principle of respecting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decision, we accept the appointment of the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia, and God willing, Barisan will support him during the vote of confidence so his legitimacy can be finalised and those who are trying to question him are silenced,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Umno president, said although some might deem the vote of confidence a risky move, this was part of the democratic process.
He added that Barisan wanted to respect the wishes of the King to support the formation of a new government.
Parliamentary support of the government led by Anwar will be tested when the Dewan Rakyat’s new session commences on Dec 19.
According to Anwar, the first order of the Dec 19 sitting would be tabling a motion to hold a confidence vote by MPs.
Ahmad Zahid had come under pressure for supporting Pakatan Harapan with a letter to the Palace saying that 30 Barisan MPs supported a unity government headed by Anwar.
The Umno supreme council endorsed his decision and decided not to support Perikatan Nasional, which had 73 seats compared with Pakatan’s 82.
On Thursday, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong appointed Anwar the 10th Prime Minister.