Despite the declaration of a “state of emergency” in January, the number of coronavirus cases has surged and anger against the government has also grown.

Malaysia’s largest political party announced earlier on Thursday that it would withdraw its support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and called on him to resign. This underscores the country’s efforts to contain the resurgence of the coronavirus as the country’s political insecurity is plagued by it. stable.

Since the seizure of power within the ruling coalition caused its collapse at the end of February last year, politics has been constantly changing.Muhyiddin Appeared After persuading the king that he had sufficient support in Parliament, he served as prime minister, but has been Under pressure since.

The escalating COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the government’s dilemma, and most of the country, including the capital Kuala Lumpur and its richest state, Selangor blockadeAnd the hospital is at or close to capacity.

Zahid Hamidi, chairman of the Malay National Unity Organization (UMNO), said the party has decided to withdraw support for the prime minister due to its failure to respond to the pandemic.

His comments came a few hours after Muhyiddin promoted two Umno leaders to the highest positions. Umno is the largest constituent party in the ruling coalition and has dominated Malaysian politics for many years before losing power for the first time in May 2018. Wednesday’s promotion enabled the party to hold the previously vacant position of Deputy Prime Minister in addition to the senior cabinet position.

The food bank is ready to help those who are struggling with the long-term lockdown that affects people’s ability to work [Lim Huey Teng/Reuters]

Political analysts said that Umno’s move is unlikely to cause the downfall of the Muhyiddin government because it is not clear whether a stronger coalition can be formed to replace it. Umno has previously stated that it will not cooperate with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim or the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Political analyst Huang Zhenfa said: “Because the country cannot live without a government and elections cannot be held now, it is the most reasonable solution for Muhyiddin to remain in power as a minority government.” “But Muhyiddin must act like a person, not act like a person. It seems that he still has the majority.”

In Muhyiddin’s announcement “Emergency situations“, cited the coronavirus pandemic, which enables the government to rule through executive orders.

The call for the resumption of the parliament is growing, and it is now planned to adjourn for a few days from July 26.

The “emergency” order will end on August 1.

Malaysia reported 91 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday and 10 of them were “taken to the hospital”. The country’s total death toll is currently 5,768, with 40% of the deaths occurring in the past 30 days.

The government has come under fire on many fronts, including the speed of vaccine launches, its COVID-19 testing strategy, and the lack of support for people who have lost income due to continuous lockdowns.