⁍ The largest party in Malaysia’s ruling coalition declared its support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
⁍ Mushyiddin has faced calls to resign after a failed bid to impose a state of emergency.
⁍ He is under pressure from unhappy coalition partners who have demanded more powerful positions.
– A call for Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to resign grew Sunday after the king rejected his request to declare a state of emergency to deal with the H1N1 virus. Muhyiddin, who has a razor-thin majority in parliament, is now expected to keep his job after the United Malays National Organization party, the largest party in Malaysia’s ruling coalition, declared its support Monday, Reuters reports. The United Malays National Organization party, which had earlier this month threatened to withdraw support for Muhyiddin, said it will now back him as the time has come for national reconciliation between political parties to ensure political stability and to focus efforts on managing the pandemic. The party also rejected a proposal from former Malaysian premier and now-ruling party lawmaker Najib Razak to work with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Last month, Anwar declared that he had secured majority support from federal lawmakers to form a new government, sparking the political crisis. Najib’s backing of Anwar marks a striking turnaround in their relationship. Anwar was one of the key leaders in a coalition that defeated Najib in a historic election in 2018. Muhyiddin has maintained a tenuous alliance with UMNO, whose backing was key in his bid to secure the premiership in March after a bout of political wrangling led to the collapse of the administration led by veteran politician Mahathir Mohamad. Leaders in UMNO, which had led the country for over 60 years until its defeat in a 2018 election, have balked at playing second fiddle to Muhyiddin’s party.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malaysia-politics/malaysias-pm-muhyiddin-gets-reprieve-from-key-ally-in-political-crisis-idUSKBN27C064