Malaysia’s Mahathir may lose chance to be new PM

Mahathir or Anwar or snap polls? - AFP

KUALA LUMPUR (The Star/ANN): Malaysia’s current interim Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who dropped a bombshell by resigning as PM on Monday (Feb 24), may lose hope of becoming the new premier in the latest turn of events.

Originally supported by political parties from both sides of the divide to be the new PM, Mahathir is hoping to form a 'unity government' with new cabinet members from various factions, but apparently this idea did not sit well with political leaders he had met.

From announcements made by various political parties, it is clear that they have now changed their mind and strategy on support for Mahathir, felt on Sunday and Monday.

Umno and PAS, opposition parties originally promised a new alliance with Mahathir’s party Bersatu to form a new government, on Tuesday announced they wanted the country to go for snap polls.

In the 222-member Parliament, they jointly command 58 seats. Their ally MCA, with two seat, has joined in the chorus.

They said their proposal was submitted to the King on Tuesday.

But on Tuesday evening, the Pakatan Harapan coalition – originally led by Dr Mahathir before the departure of his party Bersatu – withdrew their support for Mahathir.

The three parties within the coalition – PKR, DAP and Amanah -- declared their support for seasoned politician Anwar Ibrahim to be the next PM, not Mahathir.

Before the political drama unfolded, Anwar was to succeed Mahathir in May or after November this year.

But when Mahathir showed reluctance to let go power, pressure on him piled up. This culminated in a tense meeting last Friday.

Indeed, the current political instability that has clouded Malaysia for some time is mainly fuelled by the reluctance by Mahathir to honour the pact by all parties in the coalition before they won the general election in May 2018.

For Anwar now, if MPs in all three parties within Pakatan Harapan vote for him, this means he could get 92 seats – more than what Mahathir could garner.

Its communications director Khalid Abdul Samad on Tuesday evening told the media Pakatan “still holds the majority of seats in parliament.”

For Mahathir, assuming all MPs from Bersatu and other political parties support him, this means the 94-year old politician could get 70 seats.

The Malaysian King has been interviewing MPs individually since Tuesday to determine who will get the most support to become the next leader of the country.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah told the media camped at the entrance of the palace on Tuesday: "Let me do my duty. I hope we will find the best solution for the country.”

At state levels, at least three state governments in Malaysia may fall due to the current political changes at the top.

Amid the political intrigue, international rating companies such as Moody’s and Standard & Poors’ are warning that Malaysia faces the risk of a sovereign credit downgrade if the current political instability is prolonged.

On Monday, the stock market reacted by plunging in the morning and wiping out RM43 billion in market capitalisation.

Meanwhile, more politicians and non-governmental organisations have joined the chorus to call for a snap election.

If the King could finish his assessment today or tomorrow, Malaysia is likely to have a clearer political development soon. - The Star/Asia News Network