Malaysian PM rejects calls to quit

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin refused to yield to mounting calls to quit on Wednesday but said he would face a no-confidence vote in parliament in September. Political tensions have been escalating in the country after the king rebuked the administration for misleading parliament and hundreds staged a rare anti-government protest last weekend.

The latest blow came on Tuesday when several members of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the biggest party in his coalition, publicly pulled their support, and a cabinet minister resigned from his post.

UMNO leaders said the withdrawal of support means Muhyiddin no longer commands a majority in parliament. Muhyiddin met with key advisers late into the night and on Wednesday had an audience with Malaysia’s king, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, whose support is important in Malaysian politics.

"In the meeting, I informed the king that I have sufficient declaration letters which has convinced me that I still have the confidence of the majority of MPs in the parliament at the moment," he said in a televised address.

"Hence the stepping down of myself as prime minister under the constitution... does not arise," he added. Malaysia’s premier took power last year at the head of a scandal-hit coalition but his government is in crisis after key allies withdrew support, and he has been heavily criticised for his handling of a worsening coronavirus outbreak. The country has recorded 17,105 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, raising the infection total to 1,163,291, with more than 9,500 deaths.