Malaysian PM dissolves parliament
Early polls to be held to restore country’s political stability
Ismail Sabri Yaakob waves to the media as he leaves his residence for the national palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Aug. 21, 2021.
Ismail Sabri Yaakob was sworn in as Malaysia’s new prime minister on Saturday.
Malaysia’s prime minister dissolved parliament on Monday to clear the way for snap elections in a bid to restore political stability as the country emerges from the ravages of COVID-19 and a multibillion dollar corruption scandal.
Elections could be held within weeks following Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s announcement.
Polls were not due until September 2023 but Ismail faced intense pressure from within his United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party to dissolve parliament and secure a strong mandate in early elections. It held a slim majority in the just-dissolved parliament.
“Yesterday I met the king… and I sought his permission to dissolve the parliament. And the king agreed to my request to dissolve parliament today,” Ismail said in a televised address to the nation following his audience with Sultan Abdullah.
“I hope the people will use their votes wisely to vote for stability, economic growth and harmony in the country,” he said, referring to the mainly Muslim but multi-racial Southeast Asian nation.
No date has been given for the election, but under the constitution polls must be held within 60 days following the dissolution of parliament.
The dissolution came days after the government unveiled a populist budget that included a few billion dollars worth of cash handouts and a cut in personal income taxes.
Malaysia has been in political turmoil since the last national elections in 2018 when a reformist pact steered by ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad overwhelmingly defeated an alliance led by UMNO. Then incumbent Najib Razak, who was embroiled in a scandal where billions of dollars were alleged to have been looted from the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, was ousted as prime minister.
Najib was later convicted of corruption following a lengthy trial and started serving a 12-year jail term in August for the initial batch of charges. He faces more charges that could put him in jail longer.
Hopes for stability faded quickly, however, as Mahathir’s government collapsed after 22 months.
He was succeeded by his former right-hand man Muhyiddin Yassin, but growing public anger over his handling of the pandemic forced him to resign less than two years after he took office, and Ismail was named Malaysia’s new leader.
Ismail’s rule has been relatively peaceful after he signed a truce with the country’s opposition to allow the government to focus on recovery after the worst of the pandemic.
Analysts said the elections will hopefully give the next government a stronger mandate to shepherd the country over a five-year term.
