What has triggered the political turmoil in Malaysia?
Mahathir Mohamad’s sudden resignation has thrown the country into uncertainty.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has long been seen as a master of Malaysian politics.
His shock resignation on Monday triggered speculation about what he may be planning.
He’s been resisting pressure to set a deadline to hand over power to his named successor, Anwar Ibrahim.
In 2018, the pair put aside their decades-long rivalry and that partnership brought Mahathir back into power.
Under the deal, Mahathir promised to hand over the top job to Anwar.
Now the ruling government has collapsed and political parties are rushing to forge alliances to form a new one.
So, will Mahathir come back to power through a different political partnership?
And what’s motivated this, just two years after a surprise comeback?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Bridget Welsh – Political analyst and senior research associate of the Center for East Asia Democratic Studies at National Taiwan University
Anto Mohsin – Assistant professor at Northwestern University
Ibrahim Suffian – Pollster and executive director of the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research