Barisan Nasional to support the Dec 19 vote of confidence for Malaysia PM Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional (BN) will support the vote of confidence for Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Parliament on Dec 19.

BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in a Facebook post on Sunday (Nov 27) that this was to ensure the legitimacy of Mr Anwar's leadership can be finalised and silence those who dispute it.

“Although some say this (vote of confidence) is a risky move by the new prime minister, this is the democratic process that we must go through and BN will continue to fully support it as a sign of upholding the decree by the agong (Malaysia king) on the formation of this new government,” he added.

In his first press conference after being sworn in as the country's 10th prime minister on Thursday, Mr Anwar said Malaysia's 15th Parliament session would be held on Dec 19 and that a motion of confidence will be tabled at the sitting to end the question of the legitimacy of his government. 

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid, who is also the president of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), said the decision made by Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah in appointing Mr Anwar should not be disputed but, instead, respected.

“Let us all uphold the decree and respect the appointment made by the agong based on the Constitution. We must move forward and together build the country towards prosperity and stability,” he added.