Mahathir strengthens hand amid turmoil
KUALA LUMPUR: Rival political factions competed to win favour with Mahathir Mohamad yesterday after he plunged Malaysia into political turmoil by resigning as prime minister, reinforcing the likelihood his shock move will strengthen his power.
Dr Mahathir, who at 94 is the world’s oldest government leader, stepped down on Monday but was immediately named as interim prime minister by Malaysia’s king — a role that carries all the authority of a permanent leader.
The move effectively broke apart an increasingly fragile and unpopular coalition Dr Mahathir had formed with old rival Anwar Ibrahim, 72, to win government on an anti-corruption platform in 2018. It also potentially freed Dr Mahathir from a pre-election promise to hand over the reins to Mr Anwar before his term ends in 2023.
“He has total freedom to decide as he pleases,” said Ibrahim Suffian, director of pollster Merdeka.
In one of his first acts as interim leader, Dr Mahathir disbanded his entire cabinet late on Monday, opening up political negotiations to form another government.
An official from Dr Mahathir’s Bersatu party, which is trying to put together one alliance, said a group of senior members met with Dr Mahathir yesterday.
The Democratic Action Party (DAP), part of a rival pact, also said it wanted Dr Mahathir to continue in office. “He is the person most likely to be the next prime minister,” said DAP parliamentarian Ong Kian Ming.
Whatever the outcome of coalition talks, it will mark yet another realignment of politics just two years after Dr Mahathir made a stunning political comeback to topple former leader Najib Razak and bring down the party that had ruled for six decades — and which he had once led.
Dr Mahathir is credited with transforming Malaysia into an industrial nation from a rural farming backwater when he served as prime minister from 1981 to his retirement 2003.
Under Malaysia’s constitution, any lawmaker who can command a majority in parliament can stake a claim to form a government, which must then be approved by the king.
The palace said the king will hold individual interviews with all 222 elected members of the lower house today to assess who was likely to succeed.
Dr Mahathir and Mr Anwar formed the Pakatan Harapan coalition to defeat the UMNO party in 2018. Mr Anwar was Dr Mahathir’s deputy prime minister when he was jailed in the late 1990s for sodomy and corruption, charges that Mr Anwar maintain were aimed at ending his career.