Right the ship again
Mahathir appointed interim PM
PKR, DAP pledge support for Tun M
PH still has majority in Parliament: Guan Eng
Azmin, Zuraida sacked from PKR
Gerakan rolls out red carpet for duo
PETALING JAYA: It was another day of high drama. All indications were that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government had fallen, just 22 months after being swept into power on a wave of disdain for Barisan Nasional and the alleged corruption within its leadership.
Even Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had informed Istana Negara in a short letter that he had decided to step down as prime minister.
As expected, the market reacted negatively, with the Composite Index losing 41.14 points or 2.7% from Friday’s close of 1,531 points.
In the meantime, Malaysians waited with bated breath for news of who would be the next man in charge.
But it ended with a status quo, albeit with minor changes.
Mahathir was appointed interim prime minister in the evening.
Apart from a bit chipped off the whole block, PH as a coalition remains intact.
In the end, the biggest loser turns out to be Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, now accused of being the mastermind behind the manoeuvrings of the past two days that very nearly brought down a democratically elected government.
He and ardent supporter Zuraida Kamaruddin have been sacked from PKR. Until yesterday, Azmin was the party deputy president and Zuraida was head of the Wanita wing.
The day began with Azmin and Zuraida being unceremoniously kicked out of PKR. This was quickly followed by an announcement that nine other PKR MPs had quit the party, presumably in support of Azmin.
All 10 are known to be ardent supporters of Azmin as well.
Their exit left PH with 128 seats, still enough to stay in power. PH began the day with 139 seats.
Later in the day, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) announced that Mahathir had stepped down as party chairman.
In a brief statement, party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin also said that PPBM was quitting PH.
With PPBM also out, PH was then left with only 102 seats, 10 short of the 112 needed for a simple majority.
In the course of the day, there was widespread condemnation for the attempt to form a government through the back door.
A diverse group of stakeholders comprising journalists, unionists, activists and politicians warned against gaining power through such a move.
In the end, good sense prevailed but a lot of damage has been done.
There is a lot of work ahead. For a start, PH will have to ensure it still has at least a simple majority in Parliament.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had insisted that PH still had enough seats to form the government but the numbers are clear – without PPBM, it has lost its majority.
Now it is up to Mahathir to right the ship again.