One-time allies are now on opposed political sides in an intensifying struggle that will test stability in the months ahead
Malaysia’s first meeting of Parliament this year ended as quickly as it began on May 18 in an unprecedented one-day sitting, nominally to protect lawmakers against the spread of Covid-19. That’s at least what Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government maintains.
Elder statesmen and ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad, who yesterday sat on opposition benches for the first time in his decades-long political career, contends the truncated sitting was to stymie debate and prevent a planned no-confidence vote that would have tested the legislature’s support of Muhyiddin’s three-month-old premiership.
Opposed camps have been locked in a bitter contest since the country’s political battle lines were redrawn in late February, when a tussle for power led to the surprise collapse of Mahathir’s governing coalition, triggering the nonagenarian leader’s resignation and the royal appointment of his erstwhile deputy, Muhyiddin, as premier.
The rivalry between the two is set to intensify as their factions vie to consolidate leadership within Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), or Bersatu, a political party both co-founded in 2016 along with Mukhriz Mahathir, the former prime minister’s son, who was days ago toppled as chief minister of the state of Kedah in a political tit-for-tat.
Malaysia’s first meeting of Parliament this year ended as quickly as it began on May 18 in an unprecedented one-day sitting, nominally to protect lawmakers against the spread of Covid-19. That’s at least what Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government maintains.
Elder statesmen and ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad, who yesterday sat on opposition benches for the first time in his decades-long political career, contends the truncated sitting was to stymie debate and prevent a planned no-confidence vote that would have tested the legislature’s support of Muhyiddin’s three-month-old premiership.
Opposed camps have been locked in a bitter contest since the country’s political battle lines were redrawn in late February, when a tussle for power led to the surprise collapse of Mahathir’s governing coalition, triggering the nonagenarian leader’s resignation and the royal appointment of his erstwhile deputy, Muhyiddin, as premier.
The rivalry between the two is set to intensify as their factions vie to consolidate leadership within Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), or Bersatu, a political party both co-founded in 2016 along with Mukhriz Mahathir, the former prime minister’s son, who was days ago toppled as chief minister of the state of Kedah in a political tit-for-tat.
Read the full story at Asia Times.
Nile Bowie is a journalist and correspondent with the Asia Times covering current affairs in Singapore and Malaysia. He can be reached at nilebowie@gmail.com.
