PM Anwar 'very confident' he will serve full term amid rumours of plot to topple Malaysia government

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday (May 5) dismissed rumours of a plot to topple his unity government and expressed confidence that it will remain intact until the next general election.

“I’m very confident that the unity government will remain for a full term until the next general election,” Mr Anwar was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today (FMT) after an event in Kuala Lumpur.

Mr Anwar added that there appeared to be talk of “changing the government every week”, according to FMT.

Mr Anwar was asked by reporters about the recent rumours claiming that there were enough statutory declarations (SDs) from Members of Parliament (MPs) backing the Opposition Leader Hamzah Zainudin as the next prime minister.

On this, he also stressed that his purported challenger should table a vote of no-confidence in parliament should they have the numbers to do so.

“If he (Mr Hamzah) has it, then when parliament sits, he can bring the SDs, it's no problem,” Mr Anwar was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Local media previously reported that speculation is rife of a plot to topple the government.

News portal The Vibes on April 24 alleged that there were plans to remove Mr Anwar from his position via by-elections among Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs who did not support him.

According to the report, several BN MPs were being wooed and persuaded to quit their parties and sacrifice their seats. The MPs would then reportedly seek re-election under the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Anwar said that the parties in his unity government are strong enough to defend against any plot to topple the government.

“As far as we can see, the position (of the government) is quite strong,” Mr Anwar was quoted as saying by Bernama.

On Wednesday, Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar expressed concern over the recent “incessant reports regarding the stability of the current (Malaysian) government”.

“The rakyat (citizens) placed high hopes in the recent General Election and voted for 222 representatives to bring back political stability to the country.

“But until today, the 222 MPs cannot get on the same page with efforts made to derail the stability that is being carefully built,” said Sultan Ibrahim in a Facebook post.

Mr Anwar was sworn in as prime minister on Nov 24 last year after the 15th General Election failed to produce a clear winner.

He leads a unity government comprising his Pakatan Harapan coalition and the previous ruling coalition BN, among other parties. Other parties and coalitions that currently back the unity government include Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Parti Warisan.