Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad yesterday lost a power struggle, with a little-known ex-interior minister to be the country’s new leader in a shock twist that would return a scandal-plagued party to power.
Muhyiddin Yassin’s surprise victory not only sidelines Mahathir, who had been the world’s oldest prime minister at 94, but also dashes the hopes of Anwar Ibrahim of becoming leader any time soon.
A royal statement said Muhyiddin was chosen by the king, who appoints the country’s prime ministers after deciding who commands most support from lawmakers, following the collapse of a reformist ruling coalition last week.
Photo: AP
Mahathir and Anwar’s “Pact of Hope” alliance in 2018 stormed to a historic victory that broke the six-decade stranglehold on power of a corruption-riddled coalition, but it was riven by infighting over who should succeed Mahathir.
Tensions exploded last week after a failed bid to push out Anwar and stop him becoming leader — prompting the government’s collapse and Mahathir’s shock resignation.
The victory of Muhyiddin and his coalition, which is dominated by the multiethnic country’s Muslim majority, dashed hopes that the reformist alliance had secured enough support to return to power and is likely to spark much public anger.
Not only does it remove a democratically elected government, but it also signals the return to power of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the scandal-plagued party of disgraced former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak.
UMNO was the linchpin of a long-ruling coalition toppled from power at historic elections two years ago amid allegations Najib and his cronies looted state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). Najib is on trial for corruption.
His coalition also includes the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a hardline outfit pushing for tougher Islamic laws in Malaysia.
Addressing supporters outside his Kuala Lumpur house, Muhyiddin said: “I urge all Malaysians to take the decision that has been made by the palace today well. Pray that we will succeed for a greater Malaysia in the future.”
The palace earlier said that appointing a prime minister could not be delayed, as the country “needs a government for the well-being of the people,” and that Muhyiddin would be sworn in today.
However, James Chin, a Malaysia expert from the University of Tasmania, said that he was “very surprised” that Muhyiddin got the job.
The political crisis began when a group of ruling coalition lawmakers joined forces with opposition parties in a bid to form a new government without Anwar and stop him becoming prime minister.
After the government fell, Mahathir was appointed prime minister and he and Anwar initially launched rival bids for power.
However, as Muhyiddin’s bid quickly gained support and it became clear that he could get into power with UMNO, Mahathir and Anwar did a volte-face and joined forces again yesterday.
The remaining parties from the “Pact of Hope” alliance threw their support behind Mahathir to become prime minister, and there had been hopes he could stop Muhyiddin — but it was too little, too late.
CROSS-STRAIT COLLABORATION: The new KMT chairwoman expressed interest in meeting the Chinese president from the start, but she’ll have to pay to get in Beijing allegedly agreed to let Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) around the Lunar New Year holiday next year on three conditions, including that the KMT block Taiwan’s arms purchases, a source said yesterday. Cheng has expressed interest in meeting Xi since she won the KMT’s chairmanship election in October. A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a consensus on a meeting was allegedly reached after two KMT vice chairmen visited China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Director Song Tao (宋濤) in China last month. Beijing allegedly gave the KMT three conditions it had to
STAYING ALERT: China this week deployed its largest maritime show of force to date in the region, prompting concern in Taipei and Tokyo, which Beijing has brushed off Deterring conflict over Taiwan is a priority, the White House said in its National Security Strategy published yesterday, which also called on Japan and South Korea to increase their defense spending to help protect the first island chain. Taiwan is strategically positioned between Northeast and Southeast Asia, and provides direct access to the second island chain, with one-third of global shipping passing through the South China Sea, the report said. Given the implications for the US economy, along with Taiwan’s dominance in semiconductors, “deterring a conflict over Taiwan, ideally by preserving military overmatch, is a priority,” it said. However, the strategy also reiterated
‘BALANCE OF POWER’: Hegseth said that the US did not want to ‘strangle’ China, but to ensure that none of Washington’s allies would be vulnerable to military aggression Washington has no intention of changing the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Saturday, adding that one of the US military’s main priorities is to deter China “through strength, not through confrontation.” Speaking at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, Hegseth outlined the US Department of Defense’s priorities under US President Donald Trump. “First, defending the US homeland and our hemisphere. Second, deterring China through strength, not confrontation. Third, increased burden sharing for us, allies and partners. And fourth, supercharging the US defense industrial base,” he said. US-China relations under
The Chien Feng IV (勁蜂, Mighty Hornet) loitering munition is on track to enter flight tests next month in connection with potential adoption by Taiwanese and US armed forces, a government source said yesterday. The kamikaze drone, which boasts a range of 1,000km, debuted at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in September, the official said on condition of anonymity. The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and US-based Kratos Defense jointly developed the platform by leveraging the engine and airframe of the latter’s MQM-178 Firejet target drone, they said. The uncrewed aerial vehicle is designed to utilize an artificial intelligence computer
RSS