Malaysia’s Muhyiddin will be secure for now

Significance

The leader of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) earlier this month withdrew his party’s support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, ostensibly depriving him of a governing majority. However, a no-confidence vote will not be on the agenda when MPs reconvene next week.

Impacts

• Enduring political uncertainty will hamper the effectiveness of efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Wrangling within all of Malaysia’s major political parties will intensify in the lead-up to parliament’s first full sitting post-emergency.
• The influence of Malaysia’s monarchs will continue to grow as further political instability at state level necessitates royal intervention.