KUALA LUMPUR (MALAYSIA) – Malaysia’s opposition has failed to resolve bickering over which of its two most senior leaders should be at the vanguard of its challenge to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration.
The opposition has been scrambling to muster a credible alternative to Muhyiddin, who suddenly became prime minister March after a week of political turmoil triggered by the resignation of his predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad.
But its search for a leader has been unable to settle on either Mahathir or Anwar Ibrahim, veteran politicians who joined hands in 2018 to oust then prime minister Najib Razak, with Anwar becoming Mahathir’s successor-in-waiting.
Muhyiddin’s appointment was the unintended consequence of a plan, green-lit by Mahathir, to block Anwar from becoming prime minister, after Mahathir became convinced Anwar would not be able to command a majority. But Mahathir ended up being outplayed by colleagues and close allies, who included Muhyiddin.
Anwar’s People’s Justice Party, which holds 38 of the 222 seats in Malaysia’s parliament, said it cannot accept Mahathir, insisting that the only way forward is to place Anwar as the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate.
In a statement, the party said it remained “open to discussing with all parties”, including Mahathir, on ways to “save Malaysia and return the people’s mandate”.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field