PETALING JAYA: Mahathir Mohamad, who pulled off a stunning general election win, will be sworn in as the new prime minister of Malaysia today, according to Malaysian The Star Online.
According to the repor Prime Minister-in-waiting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, 92, had said that he hopes to be sworn in as Malaysia’s seventh Prime Minister by 5pm on Thursday (May 10).
Mahathir has a political career spanning for more than 70 years, and has held the post of Malaysia’s prime minister from 1981 to 2003.
Indian express report quoting rueters said that during his tenure as the prime minister, Malaysia’s economic growth significantly accelerated. Called as the “Father of Modern Malaysia,” he is also credited with rapid modernisation of the country.
“We want to make it clear that there is an urgency here to form the government today,” said Dr Mahathir at a press conference on Thursday, as quoted by the staronline.
“Currently, there is no government of Malaysia,” he said.
“We need to form the government now today, because currently there is no government of Malaysia,” he said, adding that there is no rule of law without a government.
Rueters report quoted by the indian express says that Mahathir led the Southeast Asian nation for 22 years and his unexpected return to the prime ministership ends the previously unbroken rule of Barisan Nasional (BN), the coalition that had governed Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957.
“We are not seeking revenge … what we want is to restore the rule of law,” Mahathir said of Najib’s scandal-plagued rule, Indian express report reads.
The star online report says that he said he has the support of at least 135 parliamentarians from Pakatan Harapan, Parti Warisan Sabah and others to form the federal government.
He informed that all the parties in Pakatan Harapan as well as parties in Sabah that supports the coalition will be signing a declaration of support to be sent to the King.
According to Mahathir they had expected to sign (the declaration) in morning, but ‘everyone was sleeping and didn’t get up early enough’.
“So we didn’t have the official swearing in this morning,” said Dr Mahathir, in thestaronline report.
“We need to have this government today without delay. There is a lot of work that needs to be done.There is a lot of mess in the country and we need to attend to this mess as soon as possible,” he said, adding that he will call for Parliament very soon to introduce the first phase of government, report reads.
