Psywar amid political turmoil

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Key Highlights

• Psywar amid political turmoil
  
  

• AG backs Muhyiddin
  
  

• Uncertain game plan
  
  

Psywar amid political turmoil

Umno may have withdrawn support for Muhyiddin Yassin but the party is far from ousting the prime minister.

An Umno faction aligned to Muhyiddin organised a psywar (psychological warfare) by issuing a press statement in the name of "all BN MPs" endorsing the Pagoh MP as prime minister.

Interestingly, the statement did not contain a letterhead nor was it signed off by any MP - which would have revealed that Muhyiddin's has fallen short of a majority.

Instead, the statement appeared to pass off that Muhyiddin had full support from Umno, something that was quickly disputed by those opposed to him, such as Pekan MP Najib Abdul Razak.

While a majority of Umno MPs still back Muhyiddin as prime minister, Malaysiakini's tracking showed that at least eight out of the 38 MPs are on the opposing side, which is enough to shave off Muhyiddin's four-seat majority.

Umno was vague on whether it will force all 38 of its MPs to toe the party line.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Umno's BN partners stick with PN MIC asks if Umno ministers will resign.
	PAS, GPS back Muhyiddin against Umno gambit PAS disappointed at political instability.
	Hidden caveat for MPs withdrawing support for PM Zahid didn't announce this in his speech.

AG backs Muhyiddin

Attorney-general Idrus Harun weighed in amid the political uncertainty, giving his legal opinion that Muhyiddin can stay on as the prime minister.

He said this is because Muhyiddin's majority must be determined by MPs and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's announcement that the party had renounced him does not count.

Earlier in the day, Idrus had reportedly visited Muhyiddin’s residence in Kuala Lumpur.

However, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad suggested there were double standards as Muhyiddin was last year installed as prime minister through declarations of party leaders.

Parliament will only convene on July 26 but based on past experience, the Perikatan Nasional-backed Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun has blocked any test of confidence in Muhyiddin.

However, MPs can still vote down the government's agenda and legislation as a symbolic confidence test.

HIGHLIGHTS

	PM will have to seek a confidence vote: Ex-AG This follows Umno's withdrawal.
	Opposition reps pressure Muhyiddin to quit They say PM should stop giving excuses.
	'Almost impossible to get 'empty shot' of vaccine' S'gor health director responds to a complaint.

Uncertain game plan

The opposition is taking a cautious position by refusing to back any faction in the political turmoil within the PN coalition.

Pakatan Harapan called on Muhyiddin Yassin to resign as prime minister, but it stopped short of favouring any political configuration.

Pejuang chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad also refused to back any side and insisted on a non-partisan National Recovery Council.

Umno has not revealed its next game plan if Muhyiddin is successfully ousted.

Some Umno leaders have indicated that they may not want to dismantle the PN government and will instead consider installing a new prime minister from their own party.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Loke: Not yet time to involve Harapan He says PN's failure is also Umno's failure.
	Kit Siang offers options for 'unfortunate' Umno withdrawal He says the focus should be on fighting the pandemic.
	Elderly woman hoists white flag in plea for help A neighbour came by to offer her food.

 

A daily glance at Covid-19

• 8,868 new cases yesterday (July 8), the second-highest since the start of the pandemic.
  
  
• 135 deaths, a new high, with 87 in the Klang Valley. The previous record was 126 deaths on June 2. 
  
  

• Covid-19 patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) also hit a new high of 952. Active cases increased for 13 consecutive days from 60,117 to 77,275.
  
  
• For trends on daily cases, tests, hospital beds capacity, vaccination progress and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.
  
  

What else is happening?

• Klang Valley hospitals are on the brink of collapse with images of dire situations circulated on social media, prompting the Health Ministry to announce additional facilities and oxygen supply.
  
  
• Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) was finally registered as a formal political party following a court order compelling the Home Ministry to make a decision.
  
  
• Sabah will see a slight easing of Covid-19 restrictions as it will move into Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan tomorrow (July 10).
  
  
• Bank Negara Malaysia maintained the overnight policy rate at 1.75 percent. That means the interest rate on your loans will remain unchanged.
  
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

	Ex-beauty queen arrested for punching cops The suspect also ran through a roadblock.
	Record 375,842  vaccine doses administered A total of 168,047 were for second doses.
	Twice weekly Covid-19 tests for factories in EMCO areas This is for Selangor.

What are people saying?

	Why Umno's pullout cannot unseat Muhyiddin's govt By Wong Chin Huat
	Parliament reopening – Umno throws a spanner into PN's work By S Thayaparan
	Bipartisanship needed to overcome livelihood crisis By Michael Yeoh & Lee Kim Yew

KINI LENS