Anwar praises retiring PM, urges nation to calm throughout transition

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s decision to resign as Prime Minister was applauded by the head of the opposition, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He went on to say that the action would provide the country a second opportunity to reorient itself away from its present path.

Anwar urged all parties in a statement to maintain their composure and hope that Malaysia recovers quickly from the current health and economic crises.

He had also expressed his gratitude to Muhyiddin for his contribution to the country.

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Muhyiddin made the right decision in quitting, before praising the latter’s courageous but ultimately failed attempts to lead Malaysia through the Covid-19 crisis.

Lim said that Muhyiddin’s successor will have enormous obstacles in reestablishing Malaysia, which was through health, economic, and political problems.

According to Lim, the National Immunization Program must be accelerated to ensure herd immunity is achieved through vaccination rather than infection, a Covid-19 Reset Plan must be implemented to shift the focus from containment to mitigation through coexistence with Covid-19, and an Economic Normalisation Plan must also be implemented in order to re-establish Malaysia’s recovery path, with an emphasis on jobs, reopening the economy, and regular financial assistance to businesses.

Following Muhyiddin’s resignation, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong reappointed him in a caretaker role.

He resigned after losing his parliamentary majority after an open rejection by almost a dozen UMNO MPs.

There has been no announcement of a replacement, and it is assumed that the main political parties are negotiating to obtain the support necessary to appoint a leader of their choosing as the country’s next prime minister. Because of the Covid-19 virus outbreak, the Agong, Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, had previously ruled out the dissolution of Parliament in order to call a new general election in Malaysia.