COMMENT | Does Anwar’s MOA delegitimise his confidence vote?

COMMENT | Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has done two things his two predecessors did not or could not do. First, seeking a confirmatory vote of confidence, and second, having a coalition government agreement with coalition partners.

Both can help Malaysia transition from having a majority government to making the best out of hung parliament, as listed in Bersih’s 10-point recipe for a stable post-election coalition government.

However, Anwar’s coalition government agreement (termed memorandum of agreement, MOA) has been much slammed by the opposition Perikatan Nasional and many members of the public for forcing the coalition members’ MPs to support Anwar in his confidence vote or face a by-election.

Can the MOA disqualify MPs?

The MOA has been called...