KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's new administration is fast losing its shine as a reformist party with integrity, after a spate of news reports that Pakatan Harapan's leaders have lied about their credentials, misused public resources as well as welcomed defectors from rival parties they had previously accused of endemic corruption.

Last Tuesday, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) accepted seven MPs from former ruling party Umno, igniting fears that the country's top management will revert to the scandal-ridden heyday of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) government, a mere nine months after voters decided to remove it from power.