Aug 14,2021:Embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has acknowledged he may have lost majority support in Parliament but said he will seek the backing of opposition parties to keep his government from collapsing and promised to hold elections next year.
Muhyiddin has pledged to test support for his leadership when Parliament resumes next month, but has been under increasing pressure after some governing coalition MPs withdrew their backing.
The prime minister said on Friday he could take the easy way out and resign but that no other lawmaker currently has the necessary support of a majority to be appointed by the king as the new leader. In such a case, he said, there would be no government and this would throw the country into limbo during a worsening pandemic.
Muhyiddin said he will meet opposition leaders to obtain their support in exchange for a raft of benefits, including proposals to limit the prime minister’s tenure, lower the voting age from 21 to 18, bolster checks and balances, and offer the opposition leader perks similar to a senior minister. He said he would also increase the budget to fight the coronavirus and give more cash aid to the poor.
