Prime Minister Mahathir resigns, Malaysia falls into political chaos

Political turmoil

Western media has devoted a lot of space to the political turmoil in the Southeast Asian nation of Malaysia. According to AP, after months of pressure to hand over the role of prime minister to his successor, Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir finally decided to leave this week, as Mahathir's supporters planned to join hands with opposition parties to form a new government and disrupt the plan to transfer power to Anwar. Mahathir's Bersatu party also withdrew from the ruling coalition, reducing the coalition's 37 seats and losing its majority in parliament, meaning that Malaysia was plunged deeper into chaos.

The Malaysian Prime Minister's motorcade arrives at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur on February 24. Photo: EPA

The Guardian is also interested in the reason why Mr. Mahathir submitted his resignation, although the leader himself has never given a specific explanation for his decision. British sources said that tensions have existed within the ruling coalition for a long time, including the seemingly impossible collaboration between Mr. Mahathir and Mr. Anwar. These two politicians have had a "bad relationship" for decades.

In fact, Mr. Anwar was Mr. Mahathir's deputy when he first took over the Malaysian prime minister's position. However, due to disagreements in the management and administration of the economic sector, Anwar was fired by Mahathir in 1998. Until before the 2018 elections, the two politicians unexpectedly put aside their "old feud" and joined hands to overthrow the government of Mr. Najib Razak, who was caught up in a massive corruption scandal related to the 1MDB fund, which is often referred to as the world's biggest financial scandal. According to the agreement reached between the two sides, Mr. Mahathir promised that he would hand over the position to Anwar, but did not set a specific time for this.

Mahathir Mohamad (right) and Anwar Ibrahim have had a rocky relationship for decades. Photo: AFP

It wasn’t until last Friday that drama began to unfold on the Malaysian political stage, after the ruling coalition agreed to give Mahathir free rein to decide when to step down as prime minister. By Sunday, the confrontation between the two factions of the two politicians reached its peak, when Mahathir’s supporters reportedly met with the opposition party involved in the 1MDB scandal to discuss forming a new government. On February 24, Anwar spoke out to confirm that Mahathir had spoken to him, and stated “very clearly that he never cooperated with people related to the old regime.” According to this revelation, it is very likely that Mahathir resigned because he did not accept the accusation that he would cooperate with the previous regime.

One step back, two steps forward

Many people have asked whether the resignation move is the end of the Mahathir era. According to some analysts, this is not necessarily explained like that. Even though he asked to resign, Mahathir is now in a stronger position than in 2018. Political parties on both sides, including his supporters who have withdrawn from the ruling coalition, seem to still be loyal to the leader in his 90s. It is also unclear whether Mahathir himself really wants to "rest". All that is known is that he has accepted the offer to be interim prime minister, and on the morning of February 25 returned to work as usual, posting on Twitter the status "Another day at the office". However, his cabinet has now been dissolved by the King, and he has the right to hand-pick new faces to join his inner circle.

“There is no doubt that he has become more powerful than before. All parties are committed to working with him. This can be seen as a strategy, but it is important not to forget that this whole disintegration reflects his weakness as a leader and is not in the interest of Malaysia.”

Bridget Welsh - expert working at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia

Mr. Mahathir posted a photo on Twitter after returning to work as interim prime minister. Photo: Twitter

Meanwhile, James Chin, head of the Asian Research Institute at the University of Tasmania in Australia, said: “It was a tactical move that allowed him maximum flexibility to form a new government. He had to resign so that the entire government was gone. This allowed him to form a new coalition without the dregs of the old coalition. He would have a free hand to choose the right person to trust.”

It is difficult to predict the long-term scenario, but in the short term, this week is likely to be a final race in Malaysia. Politicians now have a narrow window to form a government, so the opposing factions are taking their time to reach an agreement. But this is not easy, because according to the rules, to form a government, a coalition must have at least 112 seats out of the 222 seats in parliament.

One possible scenario is that Mahathir could form a government with the remaining parties in the coalition, gaining support from other sources. Or, he could follow his traditional supporters, who have now left the coalition, and join forces with those he ousted in 2018, but this scenario is considered unlikely. Alternatively, Mahathir could choose to withdraw from the messy situation, paving the way for a contest between Anwar and his Bersatu party figures. If neither side wins the aforementioned number of seats, then the Malaysian king could call an early election.

King Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah (right) and Prime Minister Mahathir. Photo: AFP

Perhaps fully aware that no matter what turn of events lies ahead, it will take a long time for Malaysian politics to recover from the quagmire of instability, the King recently expressed concern about the unfolding crisis and urged the people to remain calm. “Please allow me to fulfill my responsibility. I hope we will find the best solution for the country,” that is probably not only the expectation of the Malaysian King.