Press reports indicate that UMNO boss Zahid’s call for the PN government not to delay a motion of confidence in Prime Minister Muyhiddin is intended both to “gain more respect for UMNO” and to force Muyhiddin to call a “snap election” Quite how Moo would do that remained unstated. If he simply resigned his post the Agong would have to decide between looking for another Prime Minister or dissolving Parliament. Given all the time and trouble involved in making the un-voted for Moo Prime Minister in the face of the majority choice of MLAs of Anwar, looking for another puppet of the Rulers or chancing the outcome of an election and would hardly be practical while Covid remains a problem.

So where to go from there? Another ‘consultation’ with MLAs which could be disregarded if it resulted in an unwelcome choice; as recently? A general election which might well see proposals for constitutional reform of a drastic nature to ensure that the present situation could never recur?

In fact the UMNO move is probably designed to get a better deal for UMNO and perhaps some “pardons” for notorious criminals such as convicted Najib and soon to be judged Zahid himself.

Possibly the way out of a very difficult situation would be to order the compliant Speaker to allow the immediate tabling of a no confidence motion and if that passed to call on the leader of the Opposition, Anwar Ibrahim, to try to form a government.