Former private secretary to Muhyiddin Yassin, Marzuki Mohamad, has rejected claims that Perikatan Nasional (PN) failed to form the federal government after the 15th General Election (GE15) because an individual refused to step aside for another prime ministerial candidate.
Marzuki said he believed the allegation, raised by Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, was directed at the Bersatu president. He maintained that Muhyiddin acted in accordance with the Federal Constitution throughout the government formation process following the election.
Marzuki challenges allegation
In a Facebook post, Marzuki described the allegation as serious and said the facts needed to be clarified.
Referring to Wan Fayhsal’s statement, he said PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang was alleged to have accused an individual of being jealous during discussions on the formation of the government.
Marzuki said he dealt directly with Istana Negara on matters related to PN’s prime ministerial candidate and was never informed that the palace had requested the coalition to submit an alternative candidate.
Claim of majority support
According to Marzuki, Muhyiddin had secured the backing of 114 Members of Parliament after GE15, including support from all MPs from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and 10 Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers.
He said the figure exceeded the simple majority threshold of 112 MPs required to form the government.
However, Marzuki noted that Istana Negara subsequently announced on Nov 22, 2022, that no candidate had obtained majority support to be appointed prime minister. He said he understood this was due to disputes surrounding the support pledged by the 10 BN MPs.
Hamzah proposal and constitutional requirements
Marzuki further claimed that on the morning of Nov 24, 2022, Abdul Hadi Awang and PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man met Muhyiddin and proposed Hamzah Zainudin as PN’s candidate for prime minister.
According to him, Muhyiddin responded that the 114 statutory declarations submitted by MPs supported him, not Hamzah.
Marzuki said any move to nominate Hamzah would have required fresh consent and new statutory declarations from all MPs backing the coalition.
He argued that Muhyiddin could not simply transfer support pledged to him to another candidate, as the Federal Constitution requires a prime minister to command the confidence of the majority of Dewan Rakyat members.
“Even if Muhyiddin had agreed, but the other MPs, including those from GPS, GRS and BN, did not, then the requirements of the Federal Constitution could not be fulfilled.
“This was not about making way. This was about the Constitution. Furthermore, the proposal to submit Hamzah’s name came at the eleventh hour,” he said.
Marzuki added that while discussions were still ongoing, they received news that Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar Ibrahim had obtained the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to be appointed prime minister.
He said that if Abdul Hadi had indeed accused Muhyiddin of acting out of jealousy, as claimed by Wan Fayhsal, it would be an unfair allegation against the former prime minister.
