The rise and fall of Muhyiddin Yassin

 

PETALING JAYA: Muhyiddin Yassin has resigned as the eighth prime minister of Malaysia after immense pressure by Umno and other opposition parties demanding that he does so.

His resignation meant that a proposed vote of confidence in the Dewan Rakyat in September is now moot and brings to an end the shortest tenure of a prime minister in Malaysia’s history.

FMT takes a look at the rise and fall of Muhyiddin Yassin.

1947

• Born May 15, in Muar, Johor.

1971

• Received his bachelor’s degree with Honours in Economics and Malay Studies from Universiti Malaya. Joined Umno as an ordinary member in the Pagoh division.

1974

• Became assistant district officer for Muar. He had joined the civil service earlier as an assistant secretary in the Johor state government.

1978

• Was elected Pagoh MP in the fifth general election and in 1982 was appointed the deputy federal territories minister.

1986

• Won the Bukit Serampang state seat uncontested and became the 13th Johor menteri besar.

1995

• Re-entered federal-level politics as youth and sports minister.

1999

• Was appointed the domestic trade and consumer affairs minister before becoming the agriculture and agro-based industries minister in 2004 and international trade and industry minister in 2008.

2009

• In April, he was appointed deputy prime minister when Najib Razak took over the top post. Muhyiddin was also given the education portfolio and became Umno deputy president.

2015

• His alliance with Najib ended when he was removed as deputy prime minister in a Cabinet reshuffle for being critical of the 1MDB scandal.

2016

• Was sacked from Umno for “indiscipline”.
• Muhyiddin joined hands with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to form Bersatu, becoming the new party’s president. Mahathir was its chairman.

2018

• Bersatu became part of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition which included PKR, DAP and Amanah, before the 14th general election.
• After winning the elections, Mahathir became prime minister and Muhyiddin the home minister.

2020

• He relinquished the position on Feb 24, 2020, when Mahathir resigned as prime minister, causing the collapse of the PH-led administration.
• Muhyiddin, as Bersatu president, pulled the party out of the PH coalition and formed a new alliance with Umno, PAS and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
• The “Sheraton Move”, as it was known, led to Muhyiddin being sworn in as the country’s eighth prime minister on March 1.
• On March 17, the leaders of Bersatu, Barisan Nasional (BN), GPS, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and STAR agreed to form the Perikatan Nasional coalition. It was officially registered on Aug 7, but without BN, GPS and PBS.
• A snap state election was held in Sabah on Sept 26 with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, a coalition comprising Bersatu, Umno and PBS, wresting the state from the Warisan-led government.
• With Bersatu leading Sabah, ties began to deteriorate with Umno, made worse by Faizal Azumu’s ouster as Perak menteri besar, which was masterminded by Umno.
• In August, Muhyiddin secured the Bersatu president’s post uncontested at the party election.

2021

• Tensions rose in the government, and Umno withdrew its support for Muhyiddin and subsequently the PN government.
• Calls for him to resign intensified when more MPs announced they were withdrawing support, coupled with the resignations of two Umno ministers.

Aug 16, 2021

• Muhyiddin resigns. - FMT