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KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Prime Minister and now ruling party lawmaker Najib Razak sought the support of coalition lawmakers on Monday (October 26) to back a prime ministerial bid from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, in another turn of the political crisis in Kuala Lumpur.
Anwar was one of the key leaders of a coalition that defeated Najib in a historic election in 2018. Since then, Najib has been convicted of corruption and sentenced to 12 years in prison. He is free on bail and has appealed the verdict.
Najib’s support for Anwar could deepen the turmoil for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who faces calls to resign after the Malaysian king rejected a request for him to declare an emergency government amid a leadership challenge from Anwar.
Muhyiddin has a two-seat majority in the Malaysian parliament and any change in support within his coalition would mean that he loses the majority.
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Najib, responding to reports about his support for Anwar, said his first suggestion was that his UMNO party push for a date for new elections once the COVID-19 outbreak is under control.
If that is rejected by the ruling coalition, the UMNO should be open to working with Anwar’s party under certain conditions.
At a Monday meeting of the Barisan Nasional coalition to which the UMNO belongs, Najib called on lawmakers from the alliance to back Anwar, three sources familiar with the matter said. Many of his coalition allies were against the idea, they said.
UMNO said after a supreme council meeting that it will continue to support the Muhyiddin Yassin government.
Anwar did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Najib’s endorsement of Anwar marks a surprising change in their relationship.
Anwar, who has long led Malaysia’s opposition with a reform agenda, was jailed during the Najib government on charges of sodomy, which he denied and said were politically motivated.
Anwar then joined enemy-turned-ally Mahathir Mohamad, a former prime minister, for the 2018 election in which they defeated Najib, who was facing corruption allegations in a multi-million dollar scandal. Mahathir, now 95, later resigned and was replaced by Muhyiddin.
Anwar said last month that he had the support of a majority of lawmakers in parliament, including defectors from the administration, to topple Muhyiddin. But he never identified who supported him.
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Meanwhile, the ruling coalition is plagued by infighting, and some UMNO officials are reluctant to play a secondary role in Muhyiddin’s party. The UMNO-led Barisan coalition had ruled the country for more than 60 years from independence from Great Britain until its defeat in 2018.
Some of the corrupt UMNO leaders, including Najib, have been trying to revive their political fortunes.
Support for Anwar comes with Muhyiddin under increasing pressure from his coalition and opposition allies.
Muhyiddin had requested an emergency rule on Friday amid a new surge in coronavirus infections in Malaysia and a global pandemic that has hit the economy.
But critics accused him of using it as a pretext to suspend parliament and avoid a test of its slim majority.
