The biggest political party in Malaysia’s ruling coalition withdrew support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and called on him to resign, setting the stage for another round of instability in the Southeast Asian nation.
The move by the United Malays National Organisation in the early hours of Thursday is the latest twist in a turbulent period for Malaysian politics that began 15 months ago with the surprise resignation of longtime leader Mahathir Mohamad. In a Facebook post after the party’s meeting concluded well past midnight, UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced the withdrawal and called for a new leader to take over until fresh elections can be held.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, center, in Kuala Lumpur, in 2020.
Photographer: Samsul Said/Bloomberg
“UMNO urges Muhyiddin to step down with honor and allow a new prime minister to be appointed for a temporary term,” Zahid said. “It’s obvious that the government had failed in managing the country’s economy, the pandemic and in fulfilling the aspirations of the people.”
Muhyiddin has struggled to shore up support for his government since taking power, facing constant demands from coalition partners and threats of defections. In January he cited the pandemic to impose a state of emergency that has seen parliament suspended all this year, blocking his opponents from bringing a no-confidence motion against him.
Since then daily cases have nearly doubled, prompting opposition parties and the monarch to pressure Muhyiddin to reconvene parliament before the emergency expires on Aug. 1. The prime minister finally agreed to do so on July 26 for five days to discuss the Covid-19 recovery plan. Malaysia counted more than 7,000 new infections on Wednesday, near the highest in a month.
The ringgit fell 0.2% to 4.1715 per dollar on Thursday morning. Benchmark 10-year government bond yields slipped two basis points to 3.15%. The main stock index tumbled 0.9% in a fifth day of declines, set for its longest run of losses since January.
Still, the withdrawal of UMNO from the coalition doesn’t necessarily mean Muhyiddin will step down. The pandemic makes holding a nationwide election unfeasible due to concerns it could further spread the virus, and it’s unclear if the opposition will be able to force a no-confidence motion in the special five-day session. Two other mechanisms to prompt his resignation — a formal rejection of the budget or the royal address kicking off a full parliamentary session — are still a ways off.
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Muhyiddin Yassin in Putra Jaya, earlier in February.
Photographer: Samsul Said/Bloomberg
“While UMNO’s pull-out can make the Muhyiddin government officially a minority one, it cannot end the latter’s tenure,” said Wong Chin Huat, a professor and political scientist at the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development at Sunway University in Malaysia. “As the country both cannot go without a government and cannot have an election now, allowing Muhyiddin to stay in power as a minority government is the most reasonable solution.”
Tensions between Muhyiddin’s Bersatu party and UMNO have been high since they cobbled together a fragile coalition in March last year. Some elements within UMNO perceived a power imbalance within the government — despite its larger size, the party holds fewer positions in the cabinet.
An aide to the prime minister did not respond to requests for comments.
‘Fragile Position’
Just hours before UMNO’s decision on Thursday, Muhyiddin appointed one of its lawmakers, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, as deputy prime minister in a bid to shore up support. The premier also promoted Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein — also from UMNO — to senior minister.
UMNO Youth Chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said on Facebook Thursday that the party wasn’t consulted on the appointments, and that it had decided in February not to accept the position of deputy prime minister. UMNO is beset by internal divisions, and one minister from the party has demanded that Zahid further clarify his statement.
Whether Ismail and Hishammuddin decide to remain in their new posts despite UMNO’s withdrawal may serve as an indication of how fractured the party as lawmakers scramble to choose sides, said Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate with the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia.
“What’s going to be important to watch is what happens to key ministers,” she said. “A lot of these politicians will be trying to determine which is going to be the safe side for them.”
Moreover, it’s uncertain if the opposition parties would be able to agree on an alternative to Muhyiddin, particularly as they maneuver for votes ahead of an election set to take place whenever the Covid-19 situation comes under control. No matter how things shake out, any coalition that emerges prior to a nationwide vote is bound to be unstable, according to Yvonne Tew, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown University Law Center.
“The state of politics in Malaysia is in flux, and has been for the last couple of years,” she said. “Any governing coalition that manages to take power is in a far more fragile position.”
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
