Malaysia needs a legitimate government to fight covid-19

“DO NOT DRAG the country again into political uncertainty,” Malaysia’s king, Sultan Abdullah, admonished the country’s parliament this week. It is too late, unfortunately. Ever since Mahathir Mohamad resigned as prime minister in February, politics has been in flux. In theory, the king’s decision to appoint Muhyiddin Yassin to head a new government on March 1st should have put an end to the turmoil. But because Mr Muhyiddin has spent two and a half months in office without proving he has a majority in parliament, the politicking has continued (see article). Indeed, many speculate that the prime minister is avoiding a vote because he might lose it. The only way to stem the scheming is for Mr Muhyiddin to prove them wrong.

The parliamentary arithmetic is opaque because Mr Muhyiddin’s government was born out of a splintering of several parties in Dr Mahathir’s coalition. Defectors from both Bersatu, the party of the two prime ministers, and Keadilan, the biggest component of Dr Mahathir’s government, have joined forces with the opposition in what amounted to a parliamentary coup. The king, having consulted all MPs, believed that the turncoats, led by Mr Muhyiddin, had a majority. But the balance of power is held by fickle and mercenary regional parties. And it has only gradually become apparent where the loyalties of the 37 MPs from Bersatu, in particular, lie. Thirty-two of them support the government.