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Malaysian government on verge of collapse after UMNO revolt
Zahid, flanked by 11 of the legislators, made the announcement at a press conference after chairing a meeting of party leaders. He said there are more such legislators who could not attend physically.
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This handout photo from Malaysia's Department of Information taken and released on May 18 shows Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin wearing a face mask during the opening ceremony of the third term of the 14th parliamentary session in Kuala Lumpur. (AFP/Nazri Rapaai/Malaysia's Department of Information)
A
dozen legislators from the biggest party in Malaysia's ruling coalition withdrew their support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Tuesday, indicating that his 17-month-old government no longer enjoys a majority in the parliament.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, president of the United Malays National Organization, the dominant party in the National Alliance government, said he has presented to King Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin letters from a "sufficient number" of UMNO legislators stating their rejection of Muhyiddin.
Zahid, flanked by 11 of the legislators, made the announcement at a press conference after chairing a meeting of party leaders. He said there are more such legislators who could not attend physically.
UMNO has a total of 38 legislators in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the parliament.
Read also: UMNO withdraws support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin
Ahead of Zahid's press conference, UMNO legislator Shamsul Anuar Nasarah announced he is resigning from his portfolio as the energy and natural resources minister.
"Taking into consideration various party decisions and stands, thus as a loyal UMNO member, I resign from the position as the federal government Cabinet minister," he said in a statement.
UMNO's relationship with Muhyiddin has been fraught from the beginning as the former resented playing second fiddle to Muhyiddin-led minor party Bersatu. UMNO also felt that Bersatu is trying to take over its place as the dominant Malay party.
But the straw that broke the camel's back was when the government got into a tussle with the palace over COVID-19 emergency ordinances.
The king reprimanded the government last week for revoking the ordinances without royal consent. He had wanted them to be debated and annulled in the parliament.
As a party that styles itself as the champion of the ethnic Malays and the Malay hereditary rulers, UMNO opted to extricate itself from being dragged into a fight with the palace.
Zahid said Muhyiddin "must bear responsibility over his government's failure and defiance against the king's wishes by stepping down as prime minister honorably."
Read also: US dismisses Myanmar election plan, urges ASEAN pressure
Muhyiddin has only a slim majority in the 222-seat lower house, while the opposition commands 105 seats. With UMNO's 12 legislators shifting sides, Muhyiddin technically has lost control of the chamber.
As a constitutional monarchy, the royals traditionally play a symbolic role. But the political imbroglio sparked by the collapse of then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's government in March last year due to defections that saw the rise of Muhyiddin has seen the monarchy breaking with tradition to play an adjudicatory role.
Political observers say the king may have to intervene once again to break the political impasse.
