Malaysia’s new PM brings graft-tainted party back to power

Malaysia’s king appointed Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the prime minister on Friday, returning the job to a party tainted by graft accusations as the southeast Asian nation grapples with a COVID-19 surge and an economic slump.

Ismail Sabri replaces Muhyiddin Yassin, who stepped down on Monday after coalition infighting cost him his majority, but the new prime minister’s backing by the same alliance raises concerns that he will also lead an unstable government, Reuters reports.

Ismail Sabri is to be sworn in on Saturday, the palace said, after he secured a slim majority with the backing of 114 of parliament’s 222 members.

“His Majesty expressed the hope that with the appointment of the new prime minister, the political crisis can end immediately and all lawmakers can unite to put aside political agendas,” it said in a statement.

King Al-Sultan Abdullah has previously said the new prime minister would have to face a confidence vote in parliament to prove his majority. read more

Ismail Sabri’s appointment restores the post to the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysia’s ‘grand old party’, which was voted out in a 2018 general election, after a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB.

He becomes Malaysia’s third prime minister since the 2018 election, after UMNO pulled its backing for Muhyiddin last month, citing his failure to manage the pandemic.