KUALA LUMPUR: All eyes have been on the opposition following their failure to muster bloc voting in Parliament on Thursday during the second reading of the 2021 Budget.
To make matters worse, it is said that there are cracks in Parti Amanah Negara after a number of MPs stood up, despite Amanah president Mohamad Sabu remaining seated.
His vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar, who called for the vote, stood up with secretary-general Datuk Dr Hatta Ramli and a number of other office-bearing lawmakers from the party.
The party line is that those who stood up overlooked the message from opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
However, many have remained unconvinced with this explanation about why only 13 MPs stood up, two short of the minimum requirement of 15 for bloc-voting to be called.
DAP and PKR MPs also remained seated, with the exception of Mas Gading and Pasir Gudang representatives Mordi Bimol and Hassan Abdul Karim, respectively.
Pakatan Harapan also missed out on a chance to test Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's support.
While Anwar said Pakatan Harapan retained the right to scrutinise the budget before the third reading, analysts agree there was more to Thursday's perplexing turn of events.
Political analyst Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said as most of the pact's suggestions were included by Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, it was difficult for it to be fully rejected.
"It was a compromise for them to not move for a bloc vote, which would be seen as a public betrayal."
He said it was a tactical manoeuvre on Anwar's side not to expose the MPs backing his bid to wrest power.
"If he had done this and didn't get the support of MPs friendly to him before the budget was passed, he would have been in a difficult position. And if (Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin) survived such a jostle, it would have been the end of Anwar. He would no longer be able to claim that he has the numbers."
On Amanah's failure to show a united front, Sivamurugan said a crisis was likely in the making.
"I don't know where Mat Sabu is going to put his face, as save for one rogue MP in DAP and in PKR, all their other MPs remained seated. This could be a sign that their allegiance is still with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad."
He did not rule out the possibility that Anwar could be abiding by a political ceasefire, but stressed that this did not mean Anwar endorsed Muhyiddin.
Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Dr Oh Ei Sun said that at some point, Anwar could have realised he did not have the majority, as the Umno backbenchers he was banking on had backed out.
This, he said, could ostensibly be because their concerns about the EPF withdrawals and the extension of the moratorium were met. "As a result, he did not dare to go for a bloc vote, which would be embarrassing if there was a poor showing."
On Amanah lawmakers' position, he said that they might be vacillating between their support for Anwar and Dr Mahathir. The Langkawi MP was among the first to stand with three other MPs from Pejuang.
Political analyst Professor Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmood said the budget was likely to be voted in its third reading.
"They already voted in principle for the budget, so if they were to vote against it in its second or third reading, it would be a political act."