AP

Malaysian leader seeks opposition backing to stay in power

Aug 12, 2021, 4:34 PM | Updated: Aug 13, 2021, 8:30 am

FILE - In this July 13, 2020, file photo, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin attends a Parli...

FILE - In this July 13, 2020, file photo, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin attends a Parliament session at lower house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Embattled Prime Minister Yassin acknowledged Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, he may have lost majority support in Parliament but said he will seek bipartisan support to keep his government from collapsing and promised to call for election next year. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

(AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin acknowledged Friday he may have lost majority support in Parliament but said he will seek the backing of opposition parties to keep his government from collapsing and promised to hold elections next year.

Muhyiddin has pledged to test support for his leadership when Parliament resumes next month, but has been under increasing pressure after some governing coalition lawmakers withdrew their backing.

Muhyiddin said he could take the easy way out and resign but that no other lawmaker currently has the necessary support of a majority to be appointed by the king as the new leader. In such a case, he said, there would be no government and this would throw the country into limbo during a worsening pandemic.

Muhyiddin said he will meet opposition leaders to obtain their support in exchange for a raft of benefits, including proposals to limit the prime minister’s tenure, lower the voting age from 21 to 18, bolster checks and balances, and offer the opposition leader perks similar to a senior minister. He said he would also increase the budget to fight the coronavirus and give more cash aid to the poor.

“The purpose of my proposal is to enable the government to continue to function amid this epidemic with bipartisan support in Parliament,” he said in a televised speech.

“I do not intend to continue to cling onto power. In this situation, it is right that the mandate be returned to the people to elect a new government when the time is right. Depending on the pandemic situation, I give a commitment that the 15th general election will be held no later than the end of July next year,” he said.

Muhyiddin’s announcement marked a U-turn just a week after he told Malaysians he believes he still has majority support and would call for a vote of confidence in Parliament in September.

At least eight lawmakers from the United Malays National Organization, the largest party in the ruling alliance, have signed declarations withdrawing their support for the government, which is enough to cause its collapse because of its razor-thin majority. Two UMNO ministers have resigned from the Cabinet.

Under Malaysia’s Constitution, the prime minister must resign if he loses majority support and the king can appoint a new leader who he believes has the confidence of Parliament. But the opposition and UMNO are split and unable to agree on who should become leader.

A three-party alliance led by Anwar Ibrahim, which is the biggest opposition bloc, said Muhyiddin has now openly admitted that he has lost majority support and must resign.

The bloc slammed Muhyiddin for “offering blatant corruption on live television” and making insincere offers to save his political career. They accused him of twisting the constitution and undermining the king’s role in appointing the prime minister.

The bloc, which earlier urged all Muhyiddin opponents to back Anwar as prime minister, said it was confident it can “offer a better plan to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, revive the economy and save the people.”

Four smaller opposition parties also rejected Muhyiddin’s offer and repeated calls for him to quit and “allow the democratic process to resume.” They said all Muhyiddin’s proposals can be brought to Parliament by a new leader.

Muhyiddin took power in March 2020 after initiating the collapse of the former reformist government that won 2018 elections. His party joined hands with UMNO and several others to form a new government that is unstable. UMNO has been unhappy with playing second fiddle to Muhyiddin’s smaller party.

He had been ruling by ordinance without legislative approval since January after suspending Parliament under a state of emergency declared to battle the coronavirus. Critics say he used the emergency, which expired Aug. 1, to avoid a vote in Parliament that would show he had lost a majority of support.

Public anger with his government has mounted after a lockdown imposed in June failed to contain the virus, with daily cases soaring above 20,000 this month. Malaysia reported 21,468 new cases on Friday, bringing its confirmed total to 1.36 million. Deaths have soared to near 12,000.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

23 hours ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

23 hours ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

23 hours ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

4 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

Malaysian leader seeks opposition backing to stay in power