KUALA LUMPUR – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has arrived at Istana Negara, where he is expected to offer his resignation after just 17 months in office as eighth prime minister to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong while the country’s political crisis reaches its peak.
The embattled Bersatu leader was seen entering the palace’s main gate at 12.23pm in his official vehicle for his scheduled audience with the king.
The embattled Bersatu leader @MuhyiddinYassin was seen entering the palace’s main gate at 12.23pm in his official vehicle for his scheduled audience with the king. pic.twitter.com/mAFOxyf86c
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) August 16, 2021
It is uncertain how the Agong will respond to Muhyiddin’s offer to resign, but if the latter does relinquish his position, he is expected to be immediately reappointed as caretaker prime minister until a replacement is sworn in.
This is similar to when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad stepped down as the head of the administration in February last year and was made caretaker prime minister before Muhyiddin’s appointment.
Muhyiddin was then seen waving to the press as his convoy left the palace at 1pm. He arrived at his private residence in Bukit Damansara at 1.09pm
Muhyiddin’s speculated resignation comes on the back of intense pressure from various quarters after he lost the confidence of the Dewan Rakyat following the withdrawal of more than a dozen Umno MPs earlier this month.
However, the prime minister has remained adamant that he still has the majority backing of MPs, and even promised to test his legitimacy in Parliament next month.
There have been rumours that the government has offered inducements to a number of opposition MPs in the hope that there would be enough numbers behind Muhyiddin come the confidence vote.
With this supposedly having failed, Muhyiddin made a last-ditch appeal to all MPs for bipartisan support, promising a slew of reforms on the condition that he survives a confidence vote in Parliament.
The move backfired as parties and MPs against the prime minister swiftly rejected the offer and accused him on national television of bribery.
With seemingly no other options remaining, Muhyiddin was said to have admitted defeat and announced his decision to resign during a Perikatan Nasional meeting yesterday, a stand he initially took on Wednesday before changing his tune.
A number of cabinet members and their staff are understood to have begun clearing their offices.
Speculation has it that Deputy Prime Minister and Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is attempting to collect enough statutory declarations (SDs) to be named the new prime minister, with Bersatu’s Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin the proposed No. 2.
However, Ismail Sabri is understood to be facing a challenge obtaining the support of his own party, with a number of Umno MPs aligned to its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi supposedly rejecting the idea.
Meanwhile, the watch at Istana Negara began with Election Commission chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh arriving at 10am, followed by Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun at 10.48am.
Earlier, Idrus was at Perdana Putra in Putrajaya with other leaders of the civil service for a meeting with Muhyiddin.
12.38pm: Acryl Sani leaves the palace.
12pm: Ghani exits from Gate 2 of the palace.
11.55am: Idrus leaves Istana Negara.
11.54am: Chief Secretary Tan Sri Mohammad Zuki Ali leaves Istana Negara.
11.28am: Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim arrives at Gate 2.
11.17am: Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani arrives at the main gate.
10am: Ghani arrives at a separate gate. – The Vibes, August 16, 2021
