Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddine Yassin on Monday tendered his resignation to King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah amid mounting popular demands that he must step down due to his "failure" of coping with the coronavirus crisis. Speaking after a meeting with the king, the prime minister said he had taken the step because he lost support of parliamentarians' majority, noting that he opted not to wait for a vote of no confidence against him in parliament. Meanwhile, the Royal Palace issued a statement accepting his resignation, along with the Cabinet, however Yassin was named as a "temporary" premier pending appointment of a successor. According to the Malaysian Constitution, resignation of the premier is also applicable on the Cabinet. Yassin was named premier in March 2020. Yassin's resignation ends a tumultuous 17 months in office, but could also hamper Malaysia's efforts to reboot a pandemic-stricken economy and curb a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, as there is no obvious successor. Malaysia's ringgit currency fell to a one-year low and the stock market slipped. It was not immediately clear who could form the next government, given no one has a clear majority in parliament, or whether elections could be held during the pandemic. Malaysia's infections and fatality rates per million people are the highest in Southeast Asia. The decision is likely to be thrust into the hands of constitutional monarch King Sultan, who can appoint a prime minister from among elected lawmakers based on who he thinks is most likely to command a majority. Yassin, who has for weeks defied calls to quit, informed party members that he will submit his resignation to the king on Monday, according to Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, a minister in the prime minister's department, news portal Malaysiakini reported on Sunday. The prime minister convened a special Cabinet meeting on Monday morning, state news agency Bernama reported. He wentto the palace later to meet the king. Yassin's resignation could return the premiership to the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), Malaysia's 'grand old party', which was voted out in a 2018 election after being tainted by corruption allegations. The top two contenders for the premiership include deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and veteran lawmaker Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, both from UMNO. Yassin's grip on power has been precarious since he took office in March 2020 with a slim majority. Pressure on him mounted recently after some UMNO lawmakers — the largest bloc in the ruling alliance — withdrew support. Yassin has said the recent crisis was brought on by his refusal to meet demands including the dropping of corruption charges against some individuals. UMNO politicians, including former premier Najib Razak and party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, are facing graft charges. They have denied wrongdoing and were among those who withdrew support for Yassin this month. — Agencies
