Coronavirus Malaysia: Muhyiddin said to ‘contemplate resignation’ after king rejects emergency plan

Sultan Abdullah’s decision quashes possibility that prime minister will suspend legislature and rule by decree

King warns politicians ‘to immediately stop all politicking that could disrupt the stability of the government’

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Malaysia‘s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin arrives at a mosque in Putrajaya for prayers in August. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:29pm, 25 Oct 2020Updated: 12:49am, 18 Dec 2020

Malaysia’s king on Sunday was lauded by citizens and government critics as he dismissed Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s plan for a state of emergency and urged warring politicians to find common ground amid soaring Covid-19 cases.

Muhyiddin, who had been accused by the opposition of using the latest wave of coronavirus cases as an excuse to suspend parliament and insulate his turmoil-wracked government from being ousted, in a late evening statement acknowledged the decision by Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah but did not offer a clear indication of his next move.

Local news portal The Vibes quoted government sources as saying the prime minister is considering resigning.

Sultan Abdullah’s public remarks following a meeting with the heads of eight of the country’s nine royal households – who make up the country’s Conference of Rulers and take turns to be king every five years – in effect quash the likelihood that Muhyiddin will suspend the legislature and rule by decree indefinitely.

The National Palace is seen in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday. Photo: AP

Muhyiddin has not publicly stated that he is seeking a state of emergency, but commentators and critics had suggested this was his intention after he called an extraordinary cabinet meeting on Friday and sought the audience of Sultan Abdullah, the country’s constitutional monarch.

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