Mahathir offers resignation in Malaysia political drama
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad tendered his resignation to Malaysia’s king on Monday while his political party quit the ruling alliance in a shocking political upheaval less than two years after his election victory.
The prime minister’s office said in a brief statement that Mahathir, 94, submitted his resignation to the palace at 1pm local time but gave no further details.
The stunning turn of events come amid plans by Mahathir’s supporters to team with opposition parties to form a new government and thwart the transition of power to his named successor Anwar Ibrahim. Minutes before his resignation was offered, his party Bersatu said it would leave the four-party Alliance of Hope and support Mahathir as the premier. Shortly after in another surprising announcement, Bersatu said it also received Mahathir’s letter to resign as party chairman. Eleven other lawmakers, including several cabinet ministers, also announced they are quitting Anwar’s party to form an independent bloc.
The withdrawal of more than three dozen lawmakers means the ruling alliance has lost its majority in Parliament, throwing the country into an uncertain future and sparking fears of more turmoil over how the political drama will play out.
Opinions are divided on whether Mahathir is quitting for good or making a tactical move to buy time to cobble together a new majority to form a government.
Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who met Bersatu and several other leaders on Sunday, met Anwar on Monday afternoon and has summoned Mahathir to the palace. Analysts said the king could decide on which faction has the support or dissolve Parliament for snap elections.
The political drama unraveled with manoeuvres aimed at keeping Mahathir in power and thwarting Anwar, replaying their decades-old feud.
Anwar was Mahathir’s deputy during Mahathir’s first stint as premier but fell out before reuniting in a pact that ousted a corruption-tainted government in the May 2018 election. Mahathir has refused to set a date to relinquish power despite a pre-election pact to hand over power to Anwar.