Muhyiddin resigns, plunging KL into political impasse

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin stepped down yesterday after losing his parliamentary majority, but the political uncertainty in Malaysia deepened, with no clear successor in sight.

He tendered his resignation during a 30-minute audience with Malaysia's King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah.

The palace later issued a statement saying that Tan Sri Muhyiddin, president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, will remain as caretaker premier until a new prime minister who commands a majority can be appointed.

"His Majesty accepted the resignation of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister and the entire Cabinet effective immediately," said the palace statement.

Mr Muhyiddin then addressed the country in a live broadcast at 3pm "on my last day as prime minister", in which he insisted he could have remained in office by "sacrificing my principles".

"I will not conspire with kleptocrats or interfere with the judiciary or turn my back on the Constitution to stay in power," he said, in a thinly veiled reference to Umno MPs facing graft charges who had pulled support for him and his Perikatan Nasional (PN) pact earlier this month.

They include party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former prime minister Najib Razak, who is appealing against a conviction relating to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad financial scandal.

Mr Muhyiddin's tumultuous 18-month rule drew to a close after a weeks-long assault on his leadership that began when 11 Umno MPs withdrew their support on Aug 3.

Despite a weekend of meetings and horse-trading across the political divide, there is still no lawmaker who has managed to cobble together at least 111 members of the legislature to form the government. There are 222 seats in Malaysia's Parliament, of which two are currently vacant.

The Straits Times understands that Mr Muhyiddin had advised Sultan Abdullah that PN remains the largest bloc in Parliament with 100 MPs. However, the Constitution does not provide for a minority government.

While opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan (PH) has 88 MPs, most lawmakers outside the coalition are opposed to his leadership or bound by Umno's resolution to not team up with him or the Democratic Action Party, the largest component in PH.

Nonetheless, Datuk Seri Anwar has worked hand in glove with Umno's Zahid, whose camp has 15 MPs, to topple Mr Muhyiddin.

To form the government, the two ex-deputy premiers must either deliver all 38 lawmakers from Umno or persuade most of the 17 opposition MPs in various parties largely loyal to former premier Mahathir Mohamad to join them.

Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who was deputy to Mr Muhyiddin, has tried to convince his PN colleagues to back him, with sources indicating he will offer the post of deputy prime minister to a Bersatu MP. If he is able to convince Zahid's camp, a government of 115 MPs can be installed.

But it appears that Zahid is refusing to endorse Datuk Seri Ismail, who could be a potential challenger for the leadership of Umno.

Malaysian Indian Congress president Vigneswaran Sanasee, a member of the Barisan Nasional coalition led by Umno, has called on Zahid to support the outgoing deputy premier, as "only Ismail Sabri has got the numbers". "There is no majority unless you get another 200 MPs coming from Mars," he told the Malaysiakini news website.

Meanwhile, Umno stalwart Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Malaysia's longest-serving lawmaker, is emerging as a compromise candidate. Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki appeared to back the 84-year-old Kelantan prince by calling for a "non-controversial, non-threatening" leader, with no long-term aim of entrenching himself, to lead a unity government with a "war Cabinet" that will call for polls once herd immunity from Covid-19 is reached.

One option open to the King is to dissolve Parliament, but with polls required within 60 days, this would not be the best choice for a nation in the throes of its deadliest Covid-19 wave. The palace said it had been briefed by the Election Commission that 79 per cent of constituencies are "red zones" with high levels of infections.