Malaysian opposition leaders Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim put aside their long-running rivalry and joined protests against embattled Prime Minister (PM) Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday.
Malaysia’s two-time former PM Mahathir and fellow MP Anwar stood together with a group of around 100 lawmakers gathered at the capital’s Merdeka Square and chanted “Step down, Muhyiddin!” before trying to march on the Parliament. “Even when people condemn (PM Muhyiddin), he remains shameless and refuses to step down,” Mahathir told reporters. Anwar said Muhyiddin’s government “lost its legitimacy,” and he no longer commanded majority support in Parliament.” We are protesting today because we want to protect the people,” he added.
The renewed calls for PM Muhyiddin’s resignation come as MPs protest his administration’s decision to postpone the final day of a special parliamentary sitting. The last day of the Parliament session, initially scheduled for Monday, was delayed indefinitely after several coronavirus cases were reported in the legislature. However, rivals accused the PM of misusing COVID-19 as an excuse to dodge a no-confidence vote that could cause the collapse of his crisis-hit government.
The parliamentary sitting, which began last week, was the first meeting this year since December 2020. Political activities were suspended after a state of emergency was imposed on January 12 due to the pandemic.
The demand for Muhyiddin to step down gained momentum after the country’s de facto Law Minister, Takiyuddin Hassan, announced that the months-long state of emergency would not be extended beyond August 1. He also said that the six emergency ordinances introduced during the emergency period had been revoked.
The decision was criticised as the country’s monarch, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, claimed he did not consent to the revocation of the ordinances. The royal palace’s rare rebuke of the government caused the Malaysian opposition to call out the PM’s “treason.” Additionally, opposition leader Anwar filed a motion of no confidence and requested for the special parliamentary sitting to be extended beyond five days so that the MPs could discuss important issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The denial of Anwar’s request and being prevented from entering the Parliament encouraged the opposition to band together against the PM.
Malaysian Opposition Shelves Internal Rivalry To Call For PM Muhyiddin’s Resignation
Malaysian opposition leaders Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim put aside their rivalry to call on embattled PM Muhyiddin Yassin to resign after the MPs were blocked from entering the parliament.
August 3, 2021
Current Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his predecessor Mahathir Mohamad. SOURCE: FACEBOOK