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Explainer | What do latest political twists in Malaysia mean for PM Muhyiddin Yassin?
- While Malaysia is dealing with a surge in Covid-19 cases, its political soap opera continues, with Umno pulling support for the ruling coalition
- Muhyiddin did not immediately respond to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s move but the attorney general says the PM and his cabinet remain in charge
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Eighteen months on since the start of the pandemic, Malaysia’s Covid-19 statistics paint a grim picture.
The daily new caseload on Thursday, for instance, stood at 8,868 – the second-highest tally on record. Over 800,000 people have been infected, making the country the third worst-hit in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and the Philippines.
A crippling third national lockdown, first imposed on June 1, remains in force and will only be lifted when the daily new caseload drops below 4,000 – an occurrence unlikely to happen for months.
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However, this week’s fresh twists in Malaysia’s soap opera-style politics give the impression that this startling state of affairs is a secondary priority for the country’s politicians.
A power struggle that dates back to the political coup through which Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin won power in March last year remains a key focus instead.
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In the small hours of Thursday, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the leader of the country’s biggest political party and a key ally in the ruling coalition, stunned commentators by declaring in a virtual press briefing that the party no longer backed Muhyiddin.
Zahid called on Muhyiddin to resign immediately, saying his United Malays National Organisation (Umno) could no longer tolerate being part of a “failed” administration.
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