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Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim met with the Southeast Asian nation’s king on Tuesday morning in an attempt to show he has the necessary parliamentary support to replace Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who has assumed power. in March.
Anwar added a new twist to the country’s political drama last month after declaring that he had won a “strong majority” of federal politicians to form a new government.
The renewed struggle for power comes as Malaysia faces a new wave of coronavirus cases that have prompted authorities to impose a two-week lockdown on Kuala Lumpur and the neighboring state of Selangor, the wealthiest state. of the country, with effect from midnight (4:00 p.m.). GMT) on Tuesday.
If Anwar succeeds in obtaining the position, it would be the culmination of a decades-long search, during which he spent nearly 10 years in jail. He would also become Malaysia’s third prime minister this year.
Muhyiddin emerged as the leader in March after a week of political turmoil when several disgruntled members of the then ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition joined forces with parties that had lost power in 2018.
The move led to the resignation of 95-year-old Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister and ruined the promise that Anwar would become prime minister two years after Harapan’s victory.
No major party has offered a clear statement of support for Anwar, although one party, which is a member of the ruling coalition, has said that some of its MPs support him.
“If the meeting does not result in an actionable outcome, its credibility will suffer and this may push the opposition bloc to find another candidate for prime minister,” Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, senior associate at the political consultancy Vriens & Part of the Reuters news agency.
King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah plays a largely ceremonial role, but can appoint a prime minister who, in his opinion, is likely to have a majority in parliament. It also has the power to dissolve parliament and trigger elections on the advice of the prime minister.
COVID-19 resurfaces
It was unclear if the outcome of the meeting would be known on Tuesday.
Local media reported that Anwar’s car arrived at the palace around 10.25 am (02:25 GMT). He left after about an hour, smiling and greeting the supporters and the media who had gathered at the palace gates. He is expected to hold a press conference at 2pm (06:00 GMT).
On Monday, police said they had opened an investigation into Anwar’s majority claim, after a list of his alleged sponsors was released on social media.
Muhyiddin, who was previously a part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, is under pressure from his administration’s handling of COVID-19. The country had largely dominated the virus, but an attempt to overthrow Pakatan’s friendly government in Sabah state coincided with an outbreak of the virus in the state of Borneo, Malaysia’s poorest.
If you are not angry with the recent statement of imposing #CMCO in the Klang valley, either you are privileged (T20 etc) or you are not paying attention. #PKPB
The damage that this will cause beyond the disease itself. I really don’t know what to say.
– Azrul Mohd Khalib (@azrulmohdkhalib) October 12, 2020
The MCO was supposed to give us time to prepare the health care system for future outbreaks, NOT to eradicate the virus. What did we do during the last 6 months since MCO in March? Are you saying we didn’t prepare enough?
– Boo Su-Lyn (@boosulyn) October 12, 2020
After elections were called to solve the problem, politicians and campaign personnel traveled back and forth between Borneo and the peninsula, sometimes not following the protocols on wearing masks and social distancing.
Authorities said those returning to Kuala Lumpur from Sabah would also not have to go into quarantine if they tested negative upon arrival at the airport, despite strict centralized quarantines for all arrivals from abroad.
The virus has now spread across Sabah, spreading outbreaks in every state in the country.
Politicians, including Malaysia’s minister of religious affairs and Sabah’s new chief minister, are among those diagnosed with COVID-19. The entire cabinet is currently in the middle of a 14-day lockdown period.
News of the movement restrictions, known as CMCO in Malaysia, sparked long lines at some supermarkets in the capital and its neighboring suburbs. [Lim Huey Teng/Reuters]
563 new cases were reported Monday, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 16,220.
The decision to impose a closure on Kuala Lumpur was greeted with anger by many residents who questioned the need for such a comprehensive response.
Noor Hisham Abdullah, director general of the Ministry of Health, said the measure reflected not only the actual number of cases in an area, but the pattern of transmission.
“If the transmission of the infection has spread to all districts of the state and records new cases every day, it means that the transmission can no longer be effectively stopped,” he wrote in a series of tweets Tuesday morning.
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