Malaysia’s political turmoil deepened on Tuesday (October 13) as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim met the country’s king and said he had the parliamentary backing to unseat Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
Mr Anwar told a press conference that he had the support of 120 of the country’s 222 members of parliament and Mr Muhyiddin should resign. He added that the king would now determine who should be allowed to form the government.
“With these documents, it is abundantly clear that we have registered formidable convincing majority among parliamentarians,” Mr Anwar said.
The king appointed Mr Muhyiddin prime minister in February, after a political battle between Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister, and Mr Anwar. The king did not disclose the strength of Mr Muhyiddin’s parliamentary majority at the time, but he now has a cushion of just two seats.
Mr Anwar’s meeting with the king marks the latest step in a tumultuous career and decades-long quest to secure the premiership.
Last month, Mr Anwar claimed to have the backing of a “strong, convincing, formidable majority” to oust the government. The prime minister, however, rejected the suggestion and Mr Anwar did not disclose any information on his support at the time.
“It seems Anwar is yet to prove — either to the king or the public — that he commands a majority, though politics is fluid,” said Peter Mumford, head of south-east and south Asia at Eurasia Group, adding that Mr Anwar had largely reiterated the announcement he made last month.
Mr Anwar was a protégé of Mr Mahathir in the late 1990s. But Mr Mahathir turned on his deputy, resulting in Mr Anwar being charged with crimes including sodomy, in a case that was seen as politically motivated. The sodomy charge was eventually overturned but the controversy sidelined Mr Anwar from politics for about a decade.
The pair then reconciled, forming an unlikely alliance that propelled Mr Mahathir back to power in 2018 after he beat Najib Razak, another former protégé, in a general election.
Mr Mahathir had promised to hand power to Mr Anwar after “one or two years” but went back on this pledge several times.
The prime minister passed his first electoral test last month when his coalition won local elections in Sabah, one of Malaysia’s most populous states.
Malaysia’s latest political jostling comes as the country faces an uptick in coronavirus infections, partly driven by clusters formed following the Sabah elections. Malaysia counts more than 16,000 cases, with record triple-digit daily jumps in new infections.
The country will reimpose partial movement controls in areas including Sabah and Kuala Lumpur this week. Mr Muhyiddin is self-isolating at his residence after coming into contact with an infected minister.❐
Financial Times
