Malaysian government illegitimate, says Mahathir, after no-confidence vote blocked

‘I think Muhyiddin is illegitimate’, the ousted prime minister, 94, says of his successor as the Perikatan Nasional government blocks a no-confidence vote

Speaker Ariff Md Yusof says government still busy dealing with Covid-19 pandemic

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Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad: not a fan of his successor. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:05pm, 13 May 2020Updated: 9:10am, 20 May 2020

The former prime minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad on Wednesday described the ruling government that ousted him in March as “illegitimate” after it blocked his effort to call a no-confidence vote.

The parliamentary speaker Ariff Md Yusof earlier in the day announced that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government had elected to permit only one order of business in next Monday’s parliamentary sitting – the ceremonial opening address by the king.

Ariff said the Perikatan Nasional government took the decision “as the Covid-19 pandemic has not been fully cleared”.

“How can this be called a government when MPs are not allowed to speak even when there is a parliamentary sitting?” Mahathir asked in a pre-recorded video released by his aides late on Wednesday.

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“[As a result] this government is in fact illegitimate,” Mahathir said. “I think Muhyiddin is illegitimate.”

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