A parliamentary meeting in Malaysia proposed by interim Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will not be held, Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof said in an official letter on Friday, Feb. 28.

Mahathir: Special sitting to determine who has most support

Previously, Mahathir said on Thursday, Feb. 27, that following a conclusion of his meeting with the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, a special parliament sitting will be convened on March 2 to determine which prime minister candidate has the majority of support, The Star reported.

Mahathir also said should the Dewan Rakyat (the lower house of Malaysia's parliament) not be able to determine who should be prime minister, a snap election would be called.

Special sitting cannot not be held as it doesn't fulfil certain conditions

According to Malay Mail, Mohamad Ariff said the letter he received from Mahathir did not meet the conditions of Parliament's Standing Order 11(3), as it was not followed by a complete Notice of Motion.

He asserted that only the Dewan Rakyat Speaker, not the interim Prime Minister, has the right to decide on a date for the special sitting.

The Speaker also said that the meeting can only be held upon receiving approval from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Malaysia's king, on the selection process for the next Prime Minister.

Furthermore, he said Mahathir had failed to state the nature of the business to be discussed.

Bersatu member contradicts Mahathir

Bersatu supreme council member Rais Yatim also appeared to disagree with the March 2 parliament sitting to determine the next prime minister.

According to a tweet posted on Friday, Feb. 28, the veteran politician said: "What's with the fuss that the Dewan Rakyat will supposedly decide who becomes prime minister on March 2?"

Kenapa masih ribut-ribut konon DRakyat akn tentukn siapa jadi PM pd 2 Mac? Kuasa melantik PM di tangan YDAgong BUKAN di DRakyat. Patut Agong dah buat keputusn hasil 2 hri temuduga MP. PegNegara tolonglah beri nasihat betul kpd YDPA. Di DR cuma boleh undi percaya atau tak percaya. pic.twitter.com/QVQgt4dPDy

— RAISYATIM (@DrRaisYatim) February 28, 2020

He continued saying the Malaysian king should be the one to appoint the prime minister, not the lower house, and that the king would have made a decision after interviewing members of parliament for two days.

His public disapproval of the special sitting that Mahathir had called for might be an indication that even the two-time Prime Minister is facing some unexpected opposition within his own party.

Bersatu had exited the PH coalition on Sunday, Feb. 23, to support and trust Mahathir as Malaysia's Prime Minister, its party president Muhyiddin Yassin said on Sunday, Feb. 23.

The development had taken place amid a flurry of events that saw 11 members leave the People's Justice Party (PKR), including deputy president Azmin Ali, to form an independent bloc in the parliament.

Malaysia also saw the appointment of Mahathir as interim Prime Minister mere hours after he resigned from the post of Prime Minister.

PH and UMNO against March 2 sitting too

While the special sitting was met with disapproval from representatives of both Bersatu and the PKR, UMNO (United Malays National Organisation) has criticised the plan as well.

UMNO secretary-general Annuar Musa said in a tweet on Friday, Feb. 28, that the sitting is "unconstitutional, procedurally improper and disrespects the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong".

https://twitter.com/AnnuarMusa/status/1233197267793768449?s=20

UMNO had previously called for the parliament to be dissolved, and for snap polls to be held.

Together with PAS, the party that was in the country's longest-ruling coalition until the 2015 election (UMNO), had won five of the last six by-elections, severely chipping at the Pakatan Harapan's credibility.

In his first speech on Wednesday, Feb. 26, after the dramatic turn of events, Mahathir had said he resigned as Prime Minister as he could not accept UMNO joining a new coalition.

While the PH backs Anwar to be the next prime minister, Bersatu had nominated Muhyiddin for the position.

King can't determine who has majority of support

According to Malaysiakini, the king is not able to determine which member of parliament commands majority support of the lower house.

He had previously conducted one-to-one interviews over two days, Feb. 25 and 26, to ascertain who should be the country's prime minister.

Top image via Muhyiddin Yassin/Facebook