Commentary: UMNO’s withdrawal of support shows Malaysia’s political establishment is losing the plot
Malaysians may remember this tussle between UMNO and Bersatu as one where the political establishment lost its ability to put the country above political, even personal interests, says James Chin.
HOBART: At 1am on Thursday (Jul 8), UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi gave a press conference in which he confidently announced that UMNO was withdrawing from the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government and called on Muhyiddin Yassin to resign. He also urged for an interim government to be formed to see out the pandemic.
The press conference came right after other fresh developments that day. On Wednesday afternoon, Muhyiddin suddenly announced that Defence Minister Ismail Sabri will be appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein appointed Senior Minister.
The announcement unequivocally established UMNO as the second most powerful party in government.
Chin, J. (2021, July 9). Malaysians may remember this tussle between UMNO and Bersatu as one where the political establishment lost its ability to put the country above political, even personal interests, says James Chin. CNA. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/malaysia-politics-umno-pn-muhyiddin-cabinet-zahid-ismail-covid-15180368