COMMENT | Rarely is a move to remove a sitting government through concerted effort to put a new one in its place, via lobbying, use of the media, working with others, and other imaginative machinations - a plot in other words - illegal.

Most times, it’s part of the checks and balances within a parliamentary democracy to enable the removal of a non-performing government which loses the support of its people, as demonstrated by a loss of confidence by the members representing the people in Parliament.

Post the 2018 epochal election, which saw BN defeated for the first time in national polls, we have seen changes in government through the MPs changing their support for the prime minister, resulting in the fall of governments. It heralded changing parliamentary support to, yes, topple governments.

Thus, when reports are made that certain people are plotting against the government and investigations are being launched, they must be treated with healthy scepticism, as many of the things that the accused are alleged to be engaged in may not be unlawful.

Let’s take the report about a prominent family (everyone now knows the family is that of the late, powerful former finance minister and staunch Dr Mahathir Mohamad ally, Daim Zainuddin), where investigations appear to have been launched on the strength of a single police report by an unnamed individual, over which there is now much speculation.

Rejecting ‘toppling govt’ allegation

Daim’s wife, Na’imah Abdul Khalid...