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Malaysia: A party in Malaysia's ruling coalition said yesterday it plans to seek a vote of no-confidence against the prime minister in an unprecedented act of rebellion that could force him to resign or call for new elections.
The Sabah Progressive Party, a member of the 14-party ruling National Front coalition, said its two federal legislators would back a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when Parliament resumes Monday.
"We have lost confidence in the prime minister of Malaysia," party leader Yong Teck Lee told a news conference.
Legal considerations
The lawmakers must first convince Parliament's speaker to allow a no-confidence vote, but their biggest challenge will be getting enough legislators to support the motion.
Prominent opposition politician Lim Kit Siang said a no-confidence motion needs a minimum 14-day notice so it cannot be put to the vote on Monday.
The move would be a first: no Malaysian prime minister has ever faced a vote of no-confidence presented by a member of his own coalition before.
The National Front has 140 lawmakers in the 222-member Parliament, which is enough to defeat any vote against Abdullah. But after the front's dismal performance in the 8 March elections - largely blamed on Abdullah's leadership - there is no guarantee that all ruling coalition lawmakers would want to protect him.
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