Just over a week ago, the whole of Malaysia was shocked.
No, it has nothing to do with COVID-19.
Dr Mahathi officially resigned from his position as Prime Minister, while his political party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, reportedly quit the ruling government coalition, Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope), as well.
But after a week of political upheaval, Malaysia now has a new Prime Minister.
Muhyiddin Yassin
This morning (1 March 2020), Mr Muhyiddin Yassin was officially sworn in as Malaysia’s new prime minister.
Mr Yassin is the president of the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu). He is the country’s eighth prime minister.
The swearing-in ceremony took place before Malaysian King, Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, in the Istana Negara, and was aired live on television.
After meeting all the members of parliament (MPs), the king found that the parliamentarian who likely commands the majority is Mr Muhyiddin, the Pagoh MP.
The Malaysian King said that the “appointment of the prime minister cannot be delayed for the well-being of the people and the nation.”
“He believes this is the best decision for everyone and hopes this puts an end to the political crisis at the moment,” said the palace in a statement.
So yes, to put it simply, the king met all MPs and conclude that Mr Yassin has the support of most MPs.
But…
Mahathir Says He Still has Backing of Majority
Dr Mahathir has come in to claim that he still had the backing of 114 MPs, a majority of the 222-strong Parliament.
“The King has made the decision not to see me anymore, but to appoint Tan Sri Muhyiddin. So I did not have the chance to tell the King that he does not have the majority. I cannot communicate with the Palace,” he told reporters.
According to The Straits Times, Dr Mahathir lamented that “the loser (of the last election) wins government but the winner loses the right to form the Government. It is a very strange thing”, he said.
The interim leader said he would request an urgent session of Parliament to test if Mr Muhyiddin commands the majority.
“Let MPs decide whether they support or not. That will be the official decision,” Dr Mahathir added.
If this is chim, just think of it this way: there’s a shift of alliances in the parties in the Government, so no one can confirm who supports who yet. There’s no official poll to show who really indeed have the majority support.
It’s therefore not the season finale of Malaysia House of Cards yet.
