BN: No action against Sapp - Malaysiakini.tv

Barisan Nasional supreme council today resolved not to take action against Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) until it gets an "official statement" from the party for its planned no-confidence vote against the prime minister.

More weigh in on SAPP move - The Star

PETALING JAYA: The Sabah Progressive Party move to remove Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi with a no-confidence vote continued to attract a range of responses, with a former prime minister weighing in as well.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Barisan Nasional component parties should realise that they have become irrelevant and will find themselves rejected if they continued to ignore the feelings of the people.

He said it was the inability of Barisan party leaders to appreciate the feelings of the people that led to the disastrous general election results. "When will BN party leaders wake up to the fact that the majority of Malaysians do not want Datuk Seri Abdullah as Prime Minister?" he said in his blog, www.chedet.com, on Thursday.

Dr Mahathir's comment was in response to the announcement by the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) on Wednesday to move a no-confidence motion on the Prime Minister when the Parliament session resumes next Monday.

In KUALA LUMPUR, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, a Sabah native, said his decision to allow or not allow the motion would be based on the rules and procedures of the Standing Orders.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/19/nation/20080619153959&sec=nation]

Loyal MPs rally behind Malaysia PM after no-confidence move - AFP

Loyal lawmakers rallied behind Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at an emergency meeting Thursday following a call for a no-confidence vote against the premier from within his coalition.

"Nobody (in the coalition) supports this motion. Everyone have rejected this and what has taken place is against the spirit of unity within the coalition.

"This is a collective decision of the Barisan Nasional supreme council," he told reporters after chairing a special meeting of top leaders from 13 of the 14 parties in the Barisan Nasional coalition.

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Yong Teck Lee made the unprecedented no-confidence call on Wednesday in a serious blow to Abdullah, who has faced pressure to quit since disastrous general elections in March. The SAPP did not attend the gathering.

Abdullah said he would continue to lead the government despite the attempt to topple him.

"I cannot afford to be distracted by issues that keep coming up. I have to be focused with what I have to do. When things like this happen, we have to deal with it," he said.

Abdullah, who is also finance minister, said he would ensure the economy remained stable despite rising political uncertainties over his leadership.

[More at http://news.my.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1493336]

Hong Kong deal: SAPP and Anwar - The Star

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Progressive Party’s move for a no-confidence motion on the Prime Minister was a deal that was hatched in Hong Kong and wrapped up in Kuala Lumpur with PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee admitted he had met with Anwar on two occasions in the Chinese territory and the federal capital to discuss "the political dynamics affecting the nation and Sabah".

Many quarters have interpreted this to mean the "crossing over of Barisan Nasional MPs" to the opposition as promised by Anwar.

However, the proposed motion has not received widespread support and Yong agreed that the next 48 hours were crucial. At the moment at least two other Sabah Barisan parties - UPKO and PBS - have remained deafeningly silent.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Yong's latest action was due to the fact that "I have not been able to satisfy his personal greed."

Abdullah did not elaborate. However, his aides said that the prime minister would elaborate at a later date.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/19/nation/20080619073441&sec=nation]