Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has quit after losing majority support in parliament but is set to remain as interim leader until a replacement is found.
Muhyiddin in a televised speech, on Monday defended his record and accused rivals of trying to use the pandemic to seize power.
The now-caretaker Premier claimed his attempts to deal with the pandemic and to remain in office did not work because of parties who were greedy to grab power, rather than prioritising your lives and livelihoods.
Muhyiddin had in recent weeks came under heavy pressure to resign over his response to the Coronavirus pandemic, with record death and hospitalisation numbers being reported in spite of the three months lockdown.
Opposition parties had been joined by some members of the United Malays National Organisation, UMNO, the party of Deputy Premier Ismail Sabri Yaakob, in demanding Muhyiddin resigns.
Confirming that Muhyiddin could stay on as caretaker premier, King Abdullah said staging parliamentary elections now would not be the best decision based on factors concerning the welfare and safety of the people due to the pandemic.
