This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on October 20, 2015.

KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said she will file a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak during the current session of the Dewan Rakyat.

Wan Azizah said yesterday a previous motion of no confidence against Najib that was submitted by PKR lawmaker Hee Loy Sian would be retracted.

“The opposition pact, Pakatan Harapan, will table a motion of no confidence that will be brought by me under Section 26 of the Standing Orders,” she told reporters at a press conference following a Pakatan Harapan council meeting in Parliament yesterday.

“There will be a 14-day notice to file this motion. And I hope Hee will retract his motion.”

This comes after DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng expressed dissatisfaction that Hee had submitted the motion instead of Wan Azizah.

He said yesterday morning that the issue, which is of national importance, should be tabled by the opposition leader and not an ordinary lawmaker.

Wan Azizah said yesterday that the opposition would first look into the wordings of the motion to ensure that it will be accepted by the Speaker and entered into the order paper 14 days after submission.

“Even if we do not succeed, it will be in the records of our Parliament,” she said, when asked what would happen if the motion is not successful.

PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli said the motion cannot be rejected, adding that it would not matter if it is not debated.

“Once it appears on the order paper, it’s parliament convention that the business of the government be given priority.

“We have the upper hand because we have a solid bloc. Pakatan Harapan has 74 lawmakers plus PAS. And PAS has given commitment to vote against Najib,” he added.

PKR had previously said the opposition only needs 25 Barisan Nasional (BN) parliamentarians to support the no-confidence motion to force Najib to step down.

Najib’s supporter-turned-critic, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has also urged BN federal lawmakers to throw their support behind the no-confidence motion. — The Malaysian Insider