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Malaysia election 2022
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Anwar Ibrahim leaves after meeting Malaysia’s king at the National Palace on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Malaysia election 2022: King to meet BN MPs to determine if Anwar or Muhyiddin will be PM

  • Sultan Abdullah will interview all 30 MPs from the kingmaker Barisan Nasional bloc on Wednesday after Muhyiddin rejected his proposal of a unity government
  • Anwar said the monarch had directed that the new government ‘represent all parties, all races, religions and regions’, and added the royal would take his time to reach a decision
There was no clear path towards the resolution of Malaysia’s post-election political impasse on Tuesday after the king’s unity government proposal was rebuffed by one of the prime ministerial contenders.
Not for the first time, the constitutional monarch, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, has been thrust into a troubleshooting role following the emergence of a hung parliament in the aftermath of Saturday’s election.
The king on Tuesday afternoon summoned the top two prime ministerial contenders, Anwar Ibrahim and Muhyiddin Yassin, after earlier directing all major coalition leaders to submit their nominees for Malaysia’s top political post.
Following the meeting at the National Palace, former prime minister Muhyiddin said Sultan Abdullah had proposed that both leaders form a unity government.
Perikatan Nasional leader Muhyiddin Yassin says working with Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan is out of the question. Photo: Bernama/dpa

Muhyiddin, leader of the conservative Malay-Muslim Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance, said his bloc had resolved “from the beginning” not to work with Anwar’s multiracial Pakatan Harapan (PH) bloc.

Anwar, speaking separately to the media, said Sultan Abdullah had directed that the new government “represent all parties, all races, religions and regions”.

He made clear the king had yet to decide on who would be prime minister, and that the timeline of the decision was at the sole discretion of the monarch.

Malaysia PM job ‘still vacant’; Muhyiddin rejects king’s unity plan

Crucial to ending the impasse is for either Anwar or Muhyiddin to obtain the backing of 112 MPs – which constitutes a simple majority in the 222-seat lower house of parliament, known as the Dewan Rakyat.

At Saturday’s vote, PH emerged the biggest winner with 82 MPs, followed by PN which garnered 73 seats.

Coming in third was Barisan Nasional (BN), the country’s longest-serving coalition that suffered heavy losses, winning just 30 seats in Saturday’s vote.

Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is widely believed to prefer a coalition with Anwar Ibrahim. Photo: AP

In the aftermath of the election, both PN and PH have intensively sought the support of BN and other smaller blocs.

Muhyiddin claims he has the support of “more than 115” MPs, including 18 from the governing alliances of Sabah and Sarawak states in Malaysian Borneo.

On Tuesday, Muhyiddin said he had transmitted documentary proof of this support to the National Palace, but the king deemed it insufficient.

Political observers believe Muhyiddin has also sought the support of at least some of BN’s 30 MPs, though he has not explicitly said this.

Muhyiddin’s rise: As Mahathir’s star wanes, Malaysia has a new ‘comeback kid’

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, BN’s corruption-haunted leader, is widely said to prefer a coalition with Anwar, his former political patron.

“It’s very likely that the BN will work out a deal with him,” former top newspaper editor Kalimullah Hassan told This Week in Asia. With BN’s backing, Anwar will have the support of 116 MPs.

The prickly issue for Anwar and Muhyiddin in seeking BN support lies in the fact that BN MPs are obliged by party rules to follow the cue of leader Ahmad Zahid on whom to back as prime minister.

Ahmad Zahid on Monday warned MPs that they could be sacked as party members – and consequently as MPs – if they acted unilaterally.

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Malaysia’s general election ends in hung parliament for first time in history

Malaysia’s general election ends in hung parliament for first time in history

BN MPs will meet the king on Wednesday for individual interviews on who they support as prime minister. The bloc’s top decision-making body met on Tuesday evening ahead of the MPs’ audience with the king.

As king, or Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah plays a largely ceremonial role in the country’s politics – though his final seal of approval is required for various key appointments, including that of prime minister.

In 2020, when the government of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad collapsed, Sultan Abdullah chose Muhyiddin as premier after interviewing all 222 lawmakers to decide who had majority support. When Muhyiddin’s bloc also collapsed, he chose the current caretaker prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Kalimullah said Tuesday’s development amounted to the king giving Anwar and PH “the first bite to form the government”.

Opinion: Islamists rise in Malaysia but next leader must govern for all

The country has been on tenterhooks as the political impasse continues. Amid mutual fear and distrust between the supporters of PH and the conservative PN – which includes the hardline Islamist PAS – observers have complained of a surge in hate messages and racial vitriol on social media platforms such as TikTok.

Posts that went viral include “reminders” of the deadly racial riots of 1969, which incidentally happened in the aftermath of a hotly-contested election, and of a youth religious preacher wearing a PN vest urging the Malays to be careful of ending up as “refugees” on their own land.
Inspector-general of police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said such content had started spreading from the time the poll results were announced.

“We will take strong action … against any party that attempts to create a situation that could threaten public safety and order,” Acryl said on Monday night.

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