In Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad’s gambits keep game of thrones alive
- Mahathir’s resignation as Malaysia’s PM looked at first like a clever scheme that would make him stronger. Then it looked like a plain old bad move
- But if there’s one rule in this game it’s this: never count him out
Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad, the Asian political colossus who felled three prime ministers in seven decades and occupied the hot seat twice himself, appears to possess multiples of nine lives in his country’s game of thrones.
Faced this week with his greatest crisis yet, the 94-year-old by press time on Saturday afternoon appeared to have once again willed his way out of banishment from the corridors of power.
That move severely dented efforts by Malay nationalists across political aisles who were hoping to back Muhyiddin Yassin, the number two in Mahathir’s Bersatu party, to form an administration to succeed the multiracial Pakatan Harapan coalition government that was abruptly dissolved on Monday following Mahathir’s resignation.
All sides had thought the political impasse of the last five days showed Mahathir’s legendary political guile had met its limits. For now, the man billed by his famed biographer as the “Malaysian Maverick” has shown he has cards up his sleeve yet.
When he awoke on Monday morning, he was the prime minister and leader of the formidable Pakatan Harapan coalition that had staged an audacious election victory two years ago over a calcified and corruption-tainted alliance.