PETALING JAYA: PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has denied media reports that he will resign as opposition leader if he fails to prove he has majority support in the Dewan Rakyat.
Astro Awani today reported that Anwar’s office shot down the media reports which had quoted several PKR MPs.
“These irresponsible acts were to create confusion among people,” Anwar’s office was reported as saying.
Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Harun announced on Thursday that the Supply Bill (Budget) 2021 had been passed by a voice vote after Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz tabled it for a second reading.
Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar, who was unhappy with the voice vote, stood up requesting for a bloc vote but the move was unsuccessful as only 13 MPs stood up to support him, when the minimum requirement was 15 MPs.
Besides Mahfuz, those who stood up were Langkawi MP and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Jerlun MP Mukhriz Mahathir, Sri Gading MP Shahruddin Md Salleh, Kubang Pasu MP Amiruddin Hamzah, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, Sepang MP Hanipa Maidin, Lumut MP Mohd Hatta Ramli, Kuala Selangor MP Dzulkefly Ahmad, Hulu Langat MP Hasanuddin Yunus, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim, Mas Gading MP Mordi Bimol and Selangau MP Baru Bian.
Later that day, Anwar confirmed that he had told PH MPs to let the 2021 budget to pass at the policy stage, but said they would fight it when it comes to the debates on the allocations for each ministry at the committee stage next week.
An Amanah Youth branch leader claimed in a tweet, later deleted, that Anwar had purportedly promised to resign if he failed to topple the PN government in seven days.
Sheikh Khuzaifah Bawazeer, head of Amanah Youth’s Bukit Bintang branch, said Anwar had “once again thrown his friends under the bus” by not backing the bloc vote.
The claim about the promise to resign was among several points that Sheikh Khuzaifah raised about the opposition’s failure to halt the second reading.