Following the resignation of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as Prime Minister, Malaysians once again find themselves waiting with bated breath on who the next Prime Minister is going to be. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to show no signs of slowing, many of us are hoping that the next leader will be able to steer us to brighter days.
Well, it turns out that we may not need to wait that long after all. In a letter issued today to Members of Parliament, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Art Harun has informed all MPs to submit a certified letter stating their support for ONE candidate to be the next Premier.
What caught the attention of most Malaysians however, was how the letter(s) was to be sent. Towards the end, Art Harun writes that the letters could be submitted to the Palace via fax, email, or Whatsapp! According to the Speaker, this was because the Palace remained under Phase 1 of the National Recovery Plan and this was one way to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
The authenticity of the letter has been verified and MPs allegedly have until 4 p.m. tomorrow (18 August) to submit their letters.
While it’s good to see such quick inroads made towards the appointment of a new leader, certain parties have voiced their concerns about transparency. Popular political journalist Norman Goh urged Malaysians to demand that their respective MPs disclose their nominations.
Others, like CodeBlue Editor-in-Chief Boo Su-Lyn, opinionated that the vote should be done openly in Parliament instead.
Regardless of what transpires over the next 48 hours, Malaysia may well have it’s ninth Prime Minister very soon.
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