After 17 months of extreme power, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his cabinet handed in their resignations to the King on Monday, the palace stated.
The decision was made as Malaysia has been battling its worst COVID-19 outbreak which cost the country multiple rounds of lockdowns and the lives of millions of people. Prior to Muhyiddin’s resignation, political analysts held the government responsible for mishandling the outbreak.
12,510 people were killed due to the coronavirus, as Malaysia’s hospitals were overloaded.
Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank said “Malaysia’s response is being hampered by chaotic governance and persistent political infighting.”
The misgovernance of the country has also driven the economy to the abyss. The Malaysian currency, ringgit, was revealed on Monday as weak against the U.S. dollar.
74-year-old Muhyiddin announced his resignation in a televised address, hoping the new government would be formed soon. However, the statement of the palace asserted that the former prime minister will presently remain as “caretaker” until a new leader is appointed.
As part of the departure procedure, Khairy Jamaluddin, the science minister who led the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program, confirmed the resignation of the government on Instagram.
“That’s all for now, the cabinet has tendered our resignation to the Agon (king). Thank you for the opportunity to, once again, serve the nation. May God bless Malaysia.”
Muhyiddin, who was given the Prime Minister position in March of last year, made his departure after losing parliamentary majority and his inability to control the outbreak of COVID.
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