Muhyiddin’s government had a small majority from the start and was dodging a leadership test in parliament.
Malaysia Political Crisis: Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin resigned on Monday, less than 18 months into his term, after admitting he had lost majority support to govern, the country’s shortest-serving leader. became.
Science Minister Khairi Jamaluddin wrote on Instagram that “the cabinet has given our resignation to the king”, shortly after Muhyiddin left the palace after meeting with the emperor.
Deputy Sports Minister Wan Ahmed Faisal Wan Ahmed Kamal also thanked Muhyiddin for his service and leadership in a Facebook message.
Muhyiddin’s departure in the midst of the worsening COVID-19 pandemic will plunge the country into a new crisis.
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Political leaders have already begun fighting for the top post, with his deputy Ismail Sabri backing Muhyiddin to succeed him and keep the government intact.
His resignation comes in the face of public anger in what is widely regarded by his government as a poor way of handling the pandemic.
Malaysia has the world’s highest infection rate and deaths per capita, reporting 20,000 daily cases this month despite a seven-month state of emergency and a lockdown since June to deal with the crisis.
Local media said the national police chief, the chairman of the election commission and the attorney-general were also summoned to the palace on Monday before Muhyiddin’s arrival.
Muhyiddin, who chaired a cabinet meeting in his office on Monday, shook the hands of reporters at the palace gate and left 40 minutes later.
Muhyiddin is expected to hold a news conference later.
An expert on Malaysian politics, Bridget Welsh of the University of Nottingham, Malaysia, said, “Muhydin is ruling on borrowed time. His poor governance, focus on existential politics and unwillingness to admit his failures undone him Is.”
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But his passing has also plunged Malaysia into uncharted waters.
“Now the focus is on Malaysia on a peaceful transition to a new government that can manage the crisis,” she said.
Muhyiddin’s government had a small majority from the start and was dodging a leadership test in parliament.
It eventually collapsed when more than a dozen lawmakers from the largest party in his coalition pulled their support for his government.
Two ministers from the United Malaysian National Organization also resigned from the cabinet ahead of Monday’s action.
Under Malaysia’s constitution, the prime minister must resign if he loses the support of the majority and the king can appoint a new leader whom he believes has the confidence of parliament.
Muhyiddin initially insisted he still had the support of the majority and would prove it in parliament next month. But taking a U-turn on Friday, the Prime Minister sought the support of the opposition to strengthen his government.
He promised to call the general election by next July. He offered several concessions, including proposals to limit the prime minister’s term, strengthen checks and balances, and give the opposition leader the role of a senior minister, but his plea was rejected by all parties.
The king can decide on the new leader, but currently no coalition can claim a majority.
The three-party coalition, the largest opposition bloc, has named its leader Anwar Ibrahim as its prime ministerial candidate.
But the block has less than 90 MLAs, less than the 111 required for a simple majority. It is also believed that less than 100 MPs are supporting Muhyiddin.
Other contenders include Deputy Prime Minister Ismail who is from UMNO, but it is unclear whether a deal can be reached and whether the king will accept it. Some opposition lawmakers also opposed such a deal, saying the entire cabinet should resign for the government’s failures.
Local media said another possible candidate was 84-year-old Rajkumar Razale Hamza, a former finance minister. Razale, a UMNO legislator, is seen as a neutral candidate who can unite the warring factions in UMNO.
Meanwhile, 96-year-old former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has called for the formation of a National Recovery Council, led by professionals, to address the country’s economic and health woes.
Muhyiddin took power in March 2020, beginning the fall of Mahathir’s reformist government that won the 2018 election.
He pulled out his Bursatu party to join hands with the UMNO-led coalition that has led Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957, but was ousted in 2018 over a multi-billion dollar financial scandal. Mahathir suddenly resigned to protest Barsatu’s plan to work with the former government.
Muhyiddin’s government is unstable as the UMNO is unhappy about playing a second role for its smaller party. Muhyiddin stalled parliament for months last year to garner support.
He suspended parliament again from January and ruled by ordinance without legislative approval under a state of coronavirus emergency that ended on August 1.
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