TAN Sri Muhyiddin Yassin says he has tendered his resignation and that of his Cabinet to the King on Monday (Aug 16).
Muhyiddin was speaking during a live address after submitting his resignation to the King during an audience held at noon today.
The Pagoh MP said that this resignation was in line with the Federal Constitution as he had lost the support of the majority of MPs in Parliament.
“It is obvious I have lost majority support, so there is no need to wait for confidence motion in Parliament,” he said.
He also expressed his hopes that a new administration could be appointed soon for the country to continue running amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To all my fellow Malaysians, you don’t have to worry. The Cabinet has ordered more than enough vaccines for all of you,” he said, adding that if the national vaccination programme goes according to plan, everyone would be vaccinated by the end of October 2021.
Muhyiddin’s resignation caps a tumultuous 17 months in power, during which Muhyiddin’s government grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic as well as coalition infighting and repeated leadership challenges.
The 74-year-old former PM is the shortest-serving premier in the country’s history.
He took over from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, whose Pakatan Harapan coalition collapsed in February 2020, after just 21 months.
Meanwhile, it was previously announced by Istana Negara that Muhyiddin Yassin will serve as the caretaker prime minister until a successor is appointed.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong also expressed that he was not in favour of conducting fresh elections now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Comptroller of the Royal Household Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said His Majesty expressed this after receiving a briefing from the Election Commission.
“Of the 613 state assembly constituencies in the country, 484 constituencies (79%) are in ‘red zones’.
“His Majesty was also informed that healthcare facilities in the country are in a worrying situation,” said Fadil. – Aug 16, 2021
