KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — The Attorney General’s Chamber is expected to release details of a caretaker government amid political upheaval following the resignation of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister.
Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas told online news portal Malaysiakini, “Yes, I am preparing a press release. As to the contents, please wait.”
Dr Mahathir’s resignation today is just about three months shy of PH’s second anniversary in power, and also after rumours that the coalition would lose federal power even before it completes its first term due to a purported new coalition to be formed under Dr Mahathir’s leadership.
At about the same time when news of his resignation surfaced, Dr Mahathir’s party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) today also announced that it had decided yesterday to pull out of the PH coalition.
Another announcement was subsequently made by Dr Mahathir’s office within the party that he had also submitted his resignation letter as PPBM chairman to the PPBM headquarters today.
PKR has also announced that it had sacked its deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin, while 11 MPs including the duo separately announced that they had quit PKR and PH to form an independent bloc in Parliament.
Azmin was previously speculated to be planning to lead his faction to join forces with Dr Mahathir’s PPBM and several other parties including Umno and PAS to form a new coalition government.
For the PH coalition to hold on to power or for any new coalition to form a new government, they will need to have at least 112 MPs or a simple majority of the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat to be on their side.
