What Is A Motion Of No Confidence?
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Malaysian politics enters a new episode after former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s motion of no confidence was approved by the Dewan Rakyat which will convene on 18 May.
But what is this no confidence motion and why is it an important event in Malaysian politics?
Johor Bar said that a no-confidence motion or vote is an important element in the Westminster type of democratic government, as they can be used to replace committees Governments or those in authority.
Malaysia’s government has been using that same Westminster system since we gained independence from the British.
It’s also stated in the Federal Constitution, in Article 43(4) that:
If the Prime Minister ceases to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the House of Representatives, then, unless at his request the Yang di-Pertuan Agong dissolves Parliament, the Prime Minister shall tender the resignation of the Cabinet.
Federal Constitution Article 43(4)
According to The Star, the term majority as mentioned in the Article means an absolute majority of the total membership of the lower House.
This vote of no confidence can not only be used against the Prime Minister but also the entire Cabinet as well and all of its members must resign from office if that happens but they can be reappointed in the next government.
Until today, we don’t have a Prime Minister ousted out of office by such a motion but on the state level, it has happened a few times such as what happened to Stephen Kalong Ningkan (Sarawak, 1966); Datuk Harun Idris (Selangor, 1976); and Datuk Mohammad Nasir (Kelantan, 1977).
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