Political numbers game continues to keep Malaysians at the edge of their seats

Political numbers game continues to keep Malaysians at the edge of their seats



As the race to become Malaysia’s next Prime Minister (PM) intensifies, it begins to feel like déjà vu all over again as politicians from both sides of the political divide jostle for political high ground to install the person of their choice in the PM seat.

The search began on Tuesday following Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation with no obvious successor as the country battles a COVID-19 surge and an economic slump.

While there is still no obvious winner yet, what has been made clear is that this is going to be a nail-biting battle between PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Umno vice president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

In an interview with Astro Awani last night, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said that the opposition bloc has agreed that he will be their second choice for PM candidate after Anwar.

Shafie went on to explain that they already have a baseline support of 105 MPs, so whichever of the two can gather the required majority will be named their prime ministerial candidate.

To have a simple majority, a PM candidate would need the support of at least 111 MPs.

There are currently 220 MPs. Two seats in the Dewan Rakyat are vacant.

“If Anwar can bring in a bigger number than me, then I will give way to him and vice versa,” Shafie added.

He also said the combined Opposition bloc – Pakatan Harapan (88), Warisan (eight), Pejuang (four), Parti Sarawak Bersatu (two), Upko (one), Muda (one) and independent Maszlee Malek – now has the support of 105 MPs.

In a similar fashion, the Umno supreme council has unanimously decided to nominate Ismail Sabri as the party’s sole candidate for PM, according to sources who are familiar with the matter.

“He has the numbers and is our choice for the ninth PM,” said sources.

With the backing of all 42 Umno and BN MPs, Ismail Sabri is on course to become the next PM with 115 MPs on his side barring any last-minute changes.

To thwart Ismail Sabri’s ascension to prime ministership, the Opposition will have to secure defections from either Perikatan Nasional (PN) or the Sarawak-based GPS, who has 18 MPs.

But despite all the political fanfare, perhaps it is only fair to say that all pieces have yet to fall into place at this juncture of time. Nothing is set in stone just yet – not until an official announcement has been made by Istana Negara, that is.

While news reports seem to imply that the die was likely already cast in Ismail Sabri’s favour…well, who can say for sure? These are just speculations at best, based on who-says-what, and nobody can tell you how this is going to end.

For ordinary people like you and I, perhaps it is safe to say that whoever our next PM might be, all that we can ever hope for is someone capable enough to lead us out of the current predicament brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who will become the country’s next Prime Minister? Right now, your guess is as good as mine. – Aug 18, 2021.