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Malaysia’s political crisis: opposition accuse embattled PM Muhyiddin of ‘corruption’ after offer of sweeping concessions, promise of poll by July 2022
- In a last-ditch plea before September’s no-confidence vote, Muhyiddin pledged to hold polls by July 2022 and support institutional reforms
- The opposition Pakatan Harapan says Muhyiddin is now obliged to resign as the proposal was a ‘confession’ that he lacked majority parliamentary support
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Malaysia’s disparate opposition groups, including the former ruling alliance Pakatan Harapan, on Friday uniformly rejected Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s offer of sweeping concessions and fresh polls by next July in exchange for support in an upcoming vote of no confidence.
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The Pakatan Harapan bloc led by Anwar Ibrahim said Muhyiddin’s proposal in a televised address earlier in the evening was “the first time in history where a prime minister without legitimacy made a blatant offer of corruption broadcast to all Malaysian citizens”.
“His address was a confession that the government has lost majority legislative support,” Pakatan Harapan’s top leadership council said in a statement.
“Thus, Pakatan Harapan has decided to reject these insincere proposals by Muhyiddin that should have been made earlier rather than at the end of his political life,” the bloc said.
It reiterated its position that the 73-year-old leader was obliged to resign given clear indications that he had lost the confidence of a majority of MPs.
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Muhyiddin in a last-ditch plea before the September 7 vote of no confidence had offered a deal that included a proposal for Anwar to be accorded the status and privileges of a senior minister – a position currently held by only Muhyiddin’s top lieutenants.
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