The Malaysian Insight

THE Yang di-Pertuan Agong has summoned all party leaders to Istana Negara tomorrow afternoon, several sources told The Malaysian Insight.
 
Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah is believed to have summoned the meeting to find out who the parties support to be the next prime minister following Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation today.
 
“This meeting will be different from the previous meetings as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong wants to meet everyone together at the same time,” said a top leader of an opposition party.
 
He said that the audience with the King is set for 2pm.
 
Another source confirmed that each party will be sending a leader.
 
“The president will be the one to go for us,” he added.
 
This is the second time in as many years that the Agong is meeting party leaders before deciding on who to appoint as the next prime minister.
 
In February last year, the Agong had met each MP individually to verify who they supported after Dr Mahathir Mohamad resigned as prime minister.
 
After that, he met all the party chiefs again before deciding to appoint Muhyiddin as the eighth prime minister.
 
The last two weeks have seen the Pagoh MP losing his parliamentary majority after 15 Umno MPs pulled their support.
 
The Bersatu president refused to resign as prime minister, but his final attempt of an olive branch to the opposition on Friday failed, when all opposition parties rejected his offer of reforms in exchange for support.
 
The 74-year-old former Umno politician became the country’s eighth prime minister in March last year after Dr Mahathir resigned as prime minister following the Sheraton Move.
 
Muhyiddin had led Bersatu MPs out of Pakatan Harapan and with support from Umno, PAS and a breakaway faction from PKR, toppled the Pakatan Harapan government. – August 16, 2021.