Foreign Desk Report
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia edged nearer a political turning point on Friday with uncertainty over the fate of both 94-year-old Mahathir Mohammed and rival-turned-ally Anwar Ibrahim, 72, who have vied for power for a generation.A week of turmoil was triggered by Mahathir’s surprise resignation as prime minister, breaking an alliance with Anwar that won an election in 2018 against the corruption-tarnished former ruling party of six decades.
In the race for the premiership, former interior minister Muhyiddin Yassin, 72, has emerged as a leading candidate. From Mahathir’s camp, he also has the backing of the old ruling party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). “The nation’s fate hangs in the balance,” said Liew Chin Tong, a member of Anwar’s alliance. “All MPs and parties will have to ask the question, who do they want to work with.”
A bigger role for UMNO, which supports Malay nationalism, could mean a swing back towards an establishment that puts greater emphasis on the interest of the majority ethnic group in the Southeast Asian country of 32 million. The drama intensified on Friday when the royal palace rejected interim Prime Minister Mahathir’s announcement that parliament would choose a new premier on Monday – a vote that might have helped him consolidate power.
Mahathir’s proposed unity government had been rejected by Anwar, whose supporters argue that he should be given the chance to tell the king he could form a government because his alliance has more seats than others. But he does not have the majority of the 222 seats that he would need. As parties scrambled to find allies on Friday, some Anwar supporters conceded in private that Muhyiddin might edge him out.
