There is a political crisis in Malaysia after Mahathir Mohammad, the world’s oldest head of state, announced a shock resignation earlier this week. The southeast Asian nation cannot agree on a suitable successor for the leader who is hailed for spearheading the country’s economic progress.
Mahathir retired in 2003 after twenty-years in power but popular opinion compelled him to make comeback in 2016 after corruption allegations involving a state investment fund. The 1MDB scandal rocked the nation and brought the nonagenarian back to power. Mahathir has maintained that he was not power-hungry and would leave office once there is political stability.
As part of his political efforts, Mahathir reconciled and forged an alliance with his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim. Both men have a political rivalry that stretches back two decades. In the 1990s during Mahathir’s first term as prime minister, Anwar was sacked after a power struggle and was jailed on sodomy and corruption charges. The alliance won the 2018 elections and Mahathir became prime minister. Mahathir has played the role of a reluctant leader but refused to say when he will hand over power renewing their political rivalry.
The political crisis has aggravated over the week since the resignation. A faction of Mahathir’s own party called Bersatu made a failed attempt to pick their own candidate for prime minister. Now even the parliament has deferred a special session to decide on the next prime minister. It is also unsure whether Mahathir will remain chairman of this own party but he remains as interim prime minister.
There is no one in Malaysia who knows the country’s politics better than Mahathir. He intends to form a new coalition with his designated successor. Since no party has a majority, Malaysia’s constitutional monarch will have to play a crucial role by either inviting a political leader to form a new government or call for fresh elections. Mahathir hopes to win back the ethnic Malay voters who helped him win the election, but this may affect efforts to reform the patronage driven politics.
Despite being the master manipulator, Mahathir has been an extraordinary world leader who revisited Chinese investments as he has opposed foreign debt to boost the economy. He also hosted the sabotaged KL Summit to resolve problems affecting Muslims. He still remains a grand-fatherly figure for many Malaysians who must now pick a successor given the ripe old age of their beloved leader.
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