Anwar’s ex-rival backs Malaysia’s budget. Will Muhyiddin become PM’s election partner?

The agreement is a confidence-and-supply deal. Muhyiddin Yassin and 12 other opposition or independent lawmakers pledged to support Anwar’s administration on the 2027 budget and on parliamentary confidence matters. It matters because a budget vote can determine whether a government still commands enough support to govern.

The pact was reached hours before parliament approved the 459.8 billion ringgit budget at its policy stage. The group includes six Bersatu lawmakers, Muda leader Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and six independents. They also secured constituency development allocations matching those received by government MPs.

The lawmakers will support the government until the current term ends, but Muhyiddin said they are not joining the government benches. The agreement also includes proposed institutional reforms, such as separating the attorney general’s powers from those of the public prosecutor and limiting prime ministers to two terms.

A confidence-and-supply agreement is a limited political pact. Opposition lawmakers promise to support the government on confidence votes and financial measures, especially the budget. It matters because the government gains parliamentary stability without the opposition formally becoming part of the governing coalition.

Here, Muhyiddin’s group agreed to back Anwar’s administration on the 2027 budget and parliamentary confidence matters. In return, the government agreed to provide the lawmakers with constituency development allocations equal to those received by government MPs. The pact also covers institutional reforms.

The key distinction is that the lawmakers do not cross the chamber to join the government. Muhyiddin said, “We remain the opposition,” and stressed that he remains with Bersatu. The arrangement therefore gives Anwar protection against immediate defeat while preserving the group’s opposition identity.

Malaysia’s 2027 spending plan is exceptionally large in political terms: 459.8 billion ringgit, equivalent to US$111 billion in the article. Its scale makes parliamentary approval essential for Anwar’s administration and helps explain why support was secured just before the first vote.

Muhyiddin’s group contains 13 lawmakers. Six are from Bersatu, one is Muda leader Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, and six are independents. Together, they pledged support for the government on the budget and on matters of parliamentary confidence.

Parliament approved the budget at its policy stage by a majority voice vote. There was no recorded tally showing which lawmakers voted for or against it. The budget will next face committee scrutiny from November 2 to 26, then a final lower-house reading, Senate consideration and royal assent.

In Malaysia’s Westminster-style parliamentary system, the government must retain enough lawmakers’ support to remain in office. A budget is a central test because it authorizes the government’s spending plans. Losing that vote can therefore suggest that the administration no longer has majority confidence.

The article explains that a crucial budget defeat could threaten a government’s survival. This is why Anwar’s administration needed support before the 2027 budget’s first voting stage. Muhyiddin and 12 other opposition or independent lawmakers then pledged to support the budget and confidence matters.

The budget passed by majority voice vote, with no recorded tally. That immediate threat was avoided, but the wider political situation remains unsettled. Barisan Nasional is showing greater independence, and its electoral pact with PAS could increase pressure on Anwar before the next general election.

The agreement is a striking reversal because Muhyiddin previously helped bring down the political alliance linked to Anwar. In 2020, Muhyiddin’s Malay nationalist Bersatu party quit the then-ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition. That departure precipitated the coalition’s collapse and opened the way for Muhyiddin to become prime minister.

The former prime minister governed Malaysia from 2020 to 2021. Six years after helping undermine Anwar’s alliance, he has now pledged support for Anwar’s administration on the budget and parliamentary confidence matters. His group remains formally in opposition, so the reversal is political rather than a full coalition reunion.

The agreement reflects changing pressures on both sides. Anwar gains immediate protection for Budget 2027, while Bersatu lawmakers secure constituency allocations and pursue institutional reforms. The arrangement could develop into closer cooperation as the next general election approaches, although the article describes it as temporary for now.

Muhyiddin’s support matters because Anwar’s relationship with Barisan Nasional is under renewed strain. BN is a crucial partner in Anwar’s unity government, but it has formalised an electoral pact with PAS and its allies for the November 14 Melaka election. The parties will campaign against Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition.

BN’s growing assertiveness follows victories in Johor and Negeri Sembilan. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has also challenged Anwar to call an early general election or face a parliamentary confidence vote. Against that backdrop, Muhyiddin’s lawmakers provide immediate backing for the budget and confidence matters.

Analyst Ahmad Mohsein Azman said PH needs a partner capable of delivering Malay votes if BN eventually leaves. Bersatu has been politically isolated after falling out with the opposition bloc. The CSA could therefore become closer cooperation, although its immediate purpose is protecting Budget 2027.

A Westminster-style system links executive survival to parliamentary confidence. The prime minister’s government must retain enough legislative support to pass essential measures, including the national budget. The budget is therefore more than a financial document: it is also a test of whether the government still commands parliament.

If lawmakers reject the government’s spending plan, the defeat may indicate that its majority has disappeared. The article says losing a crucial budget vote could threaten a government’s survival if it signals a loss of majority confidence. That is why Anwar’s administration sought support before the policy-stage vote.

Muhyiddin and 12 other lawmakers agreed to back the budget and confidence matters. Their support helped the budget pass by majority voice vote. The government still faces political pressure, however, as BN cooperates electorally with PAS and may challenge Anwar before the next general election.