THE political situation in Malaysia is stable for the time being, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said today.

According to the prime minister, the decision at the recent Umno General Assembly – in which it was decided not to hold elections for president and deputy president – has helped calm matters temporarily.

“The politics in this country is stable and calm for the moment,” Anwar said today during his speech in his first monthly address to staff of the Finance Ministry in the new year.

Malaysia has been rocked with political instability since the Sheraton Move two years ago brought down the fledgling Pakatan Harapan administration and ended Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s second term as prime minister.

Muhyiddin Yassin succeeded Dr Mahathir but resigned after barely 15 months in charge.

Ismail Sabri Yaakob was then appointed to take over and he led the country for little more than a year before he, under increasing pressure from factions within his own party, dissolved parliament in October 2022.

Political deadlock resulted from the ensuing election last November, before Anwar agreed to form a unity government with long-time nemesis Barisan Nasional (BN), along with other coalitions.

It is understood that he was able to do so due to his lang-standing close relationship with BN chairman and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Umno’s decision to pass a motion of no-contest for the party’s top two posts would offer some relief for Anwar and his government, where Zahid is the deputy prime minister and minister of rural and regional development.

Meanwhile, Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan is defence minister. – January 17, 2023.