In a statement, Muhyiddin said their decision was in line with the King’s message to him during his audience at Istana Negara last Wednesday.

While he did not explicitly mention the number of MPs from the coalition, deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob earlier claimed that Muhyiddin had the backing of 31 BN MPs.

“I want to thank Ismail, the deputy prime minister, and all the BN MPs who stated their support for the Perikatan Nasional government led by me.

“I also thank them for their stand in agreeing that my legitimacy as prime minister should be determined in Parliament in September in a motion of confidence, and not through other methods.

“I hope the stand of these BN MPs will put an end to the ongoing political polemic and give room to the government to fully focus on managing Covid-19, expediting the vaccination programme and recovering the economy,” he said.

At a press conference joined by 18 other MPs, Ismail announced that a total of 31 BN MPs would continue supporting the government, although not all could be present for the conference.

The Umno vice-president said they would continue to support the government based on the King’s message to remain with the government until its legitimacy is tested in Parliament.

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