Malaysian Opposition MPs March to Parliament, Demand PM to Quit

On Monday, Malaysian opposition lawmakers marched to the parliament building in Kuala Lampur to demand Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin‘s resignation after officials postponed the day’s meeting indefinitely to avoid the spread of Covid-19.

With the main road cordoned off, opposition lawmakers began assembling by a field about a mile away before they walked to the building chanting “Step down, Muhyiddin” and “Muhyiddin is a coward.” Security was beefed up in the hours ahead of the gathering, with police in riot gear and increased roadblocks at the main entrances to the building.

“We have assembled here to declare that Muhyiddin’s administration has fallen today in terms of the number of MPs,” stated opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. He said that several political parties had compiled a list demanding to be removed from the administration. “As a result, the government has fallen, with the 107 here today and them.”Anwar later called for the gathering to disperse after police blocked them from entering the building.

Malaysia’s parliament convened for the first time this year this week but was quickly halted when the monarch publicly rebuked a government official on Thursday for misleading the assembly about the status of emergency legislation. Following the finding of positive cases last week, the Health Director-General stated on Sunday that the building was at high risk of virus transmission.

The opposition, which has filed a motion of no confidence in Muhyiddin, has claimed that the Covid threat is an “excuse” to postpone Monday’s session. According to health agencies, parliament can continue to operate if viral standards are followed.

The five-day session, which was scheduled to finish today, was supposed to provide legislators an opportunity to question Muhyiddin about his government’s response to the epidemic. Since the emergency was declared in January, the number of new Covid cases has more than tripled, setting a new high.