UPDATE: 24 February 2020, 7:47pm
In conclusion (for now):
JUST IN: Malaysia’s King has accepted Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s @chedetofficial resignation as Prime Minister but has asked him to stay on as interim PM until the appointment of a new one. https://t.co/I1IvCUeE60 https://t.co/yYFJEwBkpJ
— Sumisha Naidu (@sumishanaidu) February 24, 2020
According to The Star, Chief Secretary to the Government, Datuk Seri Mohd Zuki Ali said this is in line with Article 43(2) (a) of the Federal Constitution.
“During this period, Dr Mahathir will manage the country’s administration until a new prime minister is appointed and a new Cabinet is formed,” he said in a statement.
UPDATE: 24 February 2020, 7:10pm
The meeting between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Yang Di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA) has finally ended. According to MalaysiaKini, “the PH presidential council is not meeting tonight. They will meet tomorrow” and “according to IGP Hamid Bador, the chief secretary to the government will issue a statement later this evening on what transpired during Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.”
Earlier on, Datuk Seri Anwar said that he was with Tun Dr Mahathir when he decided to resign and had pleaded to him to change his mind. MalaysiaKini further reports:
“I was with him, I was informed but I could not tell until he releases publicly. I did appeal to him on behalf of PKR and Pakatan (Harapan).
“(That) this treachery could be dealt with together. But of course, he was of a different mind, he thought (he) shouldn’t be treated that manner, to associate him with working with those literally corrupt,” says Anwar.
UPDATE: 24 February 2020, 4:15pm
It’s official: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has resigned as Prime Minister of Malaysia, as well as chairman of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia. He has been summoned to meet the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA) at 5pm today, according to The Malay Mail.
WHAT A PLOT TWIST
Game of Thrones is nothing compared to politics of Malaysia https://t.co/9MOkaRoHz2
— PS Starbucks Japan awak (@pja_chan) February 24, 2020
Also: “A source told the Malay Mail that Dr Mahathir has designated Dr Wan Azizah as an interim prime minister after his PPBM party opted to leave the ruling Pakatan Harapan administration.”
Both Dr Wan Azizah and Datuk Seri Anwar have met the YDPA, although there’s no news on what was discussed.
*
In a sudden turn of events, Malaysia is currently facing political anxiety as Sunday night ended with much mystery, vagueness and shock. This, after “the political parties of Bersatu, Umno, PAS, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Parti Warisan Sabah, and the PKR faction aligned with Datuk Seri Azmin Ali gathered for meetings that each tried to play down as “normal” despite their patently atypical nature,” as reported by The Malay Mail.
Like a tennis ball match, all eyes then shifted to PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who later said, in a Facebook Live broadcast, that, “We were shocked today by developments that, to me, were a betrayal because promises were made.”
As murmurs of a new government continue to spread, PKR communications chief Fahmi Fadzil has urged Malaysians to remain calm and refrain from spreading rumours. “There are a lot of news, rumours and speculation regarding the Pakatan Harapan administration that is going around or is being spread. On behalf of PKR leadership, I urge all Malaysians especially party members to remain calm and be patient while following the law and not to spread unverified information,” said Fahmi.
After all, there are several meetings to be had today by all the parties and individuals involved. Anwar has arrived at the Prime Minister’s Office to meet Tun Mahathir, along with Finance Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ibrahim. Later today, “Dr Wan Azizah and Anwar, are scheduled to have an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah at 2pm” as reported by The Star.
While we all wait for concrete news, here are some of the best Twitter reactions so far to the Malaysian political drama:
1.
Tun M and Malaysian politics deserve their own Netflix series
— robb (@rabbanimalek) February 23, 2020
2.
me at 2am still scrolling feed abt Tun M pic.twitter.com/pibtSusDED
— bün (@bunnyshatweet) February 23, 2020
3.
me when realising istana negara, tun m and malaysia trending pic.twitter.com/Qac5VUiRpj
— hisyam (@basithisyam) February 23, 2020
4.
Everyone : What actually happen?
Tun M : pic.twitter.com/HhPpt9FNZP
— Malaysmemes (@malaysmemes) February 23, 2020
5.
auto lose pic.twitter.com/BAFVRgPjGp
— qim.z (@muskepok) February 23, 2020
6.
me trying to understand what is going on with politics in malaysia and Tun M’s strategies pic.twitter.com/I4FuMOZzQE
— (@svgarhOneyy) February 23, 2020
7.
Agong: “Can’t believe you political party leaders dare to kacau me at home on a Sunday when all I want to do is drive down the MEX and help as many road accident victims as I can find.”
— Amirul Ruslan (@amirulruslan) February 23, 2020
8.
wonder how spm sejarah is gonna be in the future with Tun M playing uno reverse cards and chess in the politics
— Thines (@tthiness) February 23, 2020
9.
*Adults talking about the future of Malaysia right now*
Meanwhile school students : pic.twitter.com/Ha6j0Q3G1U
— Dęn (@_danishlatif) February 23, 2020
10.
Tun M : resignedMalaysian right now: pic.twitter.com/U7610A8AUq
— ammar (@_MuhdAmmar) February 24, 2020
11.
Tun M saving Malaysia be like: pic.twitter.com/zGhrBsPCiV
— (@zrlamr) February 24, 2020
12.
malaysia right now……..//// pic.twitter.com/sdMEuF8WS9
— Faizal Othman (@fzlthmn) February 24, 2020
13.
Kepada rakan2 media di luar HQ, tadi bila ditanya how I felt, saya kata “I have a good filling”, merujuk kepada sandwich & kopi yg saya bawa tadi…! (Sedap, oktxbai) pic.twitter.com/LJLKtebJAt
— Fahmi Fadzil (@fahmi_fadzil) February 24, 2020
Again, keep calm and refrain from making any assumptions (and spreading false information) until the relevant parties have made an official statement. In the meantime, we’ll just leave this here:
Malaysia’s Constitution states: “If the Prime Minister ceases to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the house of Representatives, then, unless at his request the yang di-pertuan Agong dissolves Parliament, the PM shall tender the resignation of the Cabinet” pic.twitter.com/qaYqVsZDcA
— Sumisha Naidu (@sumishanaidu) February 24, 2020
| SHARE THE STORY | |
| Explore More |
