Stock up on canned goods and batten down the hatches, Malaysians, we got us a bona fide government collapse on our hands.
Just kidding about the canned goods bit (our pantry only contains beer, paper towels, and cat food, and we’re not sweating it). As for the government collapse bit, we’re not kidding at all: it seems like there’s going to be some uncertainty ahead after members of the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) and nearly a dozen other MPs pulled out of the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
With the loss of the 26 Bersatu MPs, along with 11 more from PKR, the ruling PH government, which came into power just shy of two years ago, no longer has a majority in the 222-seat Parliament.
The news comes hot on the heels of Malaysia’s last breaking headline: The resignation of our nonagenarian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, which was reported just this afternoon.
Prior to the mass exodus, the ruling coalition had 139 MPs in Parliament, comprising 50 from PKR, 42 from DAP, and 26 from Bersatu, whose president, Muhyiddin Yassin, announced earlier today that they would be exiting the coalition.
Ten PKR MPs are now exiting the party along with now-former PKR deputy chief (and beleaguered world traveler/dude totally not in that sex tape) Azmin Ali, with plans to form an independent bloc in Parliament.
The dramatic turn of events leaves Pakatan, along with its partners Warisan and Upko, with only 102 MPs in Parliament, 10 members short of the 112 needed to form a majority.
It looks like the end of days for PH, and a reminder that nothing (especially in politics) lasts forever.
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