Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been named Malaysia’s prime minister, as a scandal-mired party that previously governed for six decades reclaimed the leadership it lost in 2018’s landmark election.
Ismail Sabri, who will be sworn in on Saturday, was the deputy prime minister in the coalition led by Muhyiddin Yassin. Muhyiddin resigned on Monday after months of political turmoil that culminated in the collapse of his majority in parliament.
King Al-Sultan Abdullah, Malaysia’s constitutional monarch, had ruled out an election, because of the country’s Covid-19 outbreak, and instead appointed a candidate whom he believed commanded majority support from lawmakers.
Ismail Sabri’s appointment will see the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), the country’s longest-governing party, regain the top leadership position. The party, which is the main constituent of the Barisan Nasional coalition, was ousted in the 2018 election after becoming entangled in the 1MDB graft saga – often referred to as the world’s biggest case of financial fraud.
The king said Ismail Sabri had secured the backing of 114 lawmakers, giving him a slim majority. He gained support from the same coalition that collapsed earlier this week.
Ismail Sabri, 61, comes to power amid growing public anger over the latest Covid wave, which is Malaysia’s deadliest since the start of the pandemic and has caused economic misery for many.
His appointment is unlikely to inspire hope that the management of the pandemic will improve, said Dr Serina Abdul Rahman, who is based in Malaysia and is a visiting fellow under the Malaysia programme at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
“The response of the people is really – it’s back to the same old story in terms of Covid management … [Ismail Sabri] was central to Muhyiddin’s handling of Covid, and now he’s just moved up the ranks – from defence to deputy PM to PM,” she said.
“It’s the same people managing the same pandemic that is only getting worse by the day,” Rahman added.
An online petition opposing Ismail Sabri’s appointment, accusing him of failing to control the pandemic during his time as deputy prime minister, has attracted more than 350,000 signatures.
Malaysia has reported a daily average of 256 deaths and about 21,000 cases over the past seven days, according to Our World in Data. Cases have continued to rise despite a lockdown that has been in place since June.
On Thursday, Malaysian authorities arrested 31 protesters who held a candlelight vigil to mourn the country’s Covid-related deaths. Photographs showed the protesters being carried away by officers to a police van. They were later ordered to pay a fine of 2,000 ringgit (£347) for breaching Covid restrictions, according to the human rights group Article 19.
Amnesty International said the arrests were “an ominous sign that even under a new government the suppression of freedom of assembly in the country will continue”.
“Our concern is that Ismail Sabri’s government essentially represents a continuation of the previous administration – one led by the same politicians who have failed to respect human rights by cracking down on migrants, deporting refugees and repeatedly violating the rights to freedom of expression and assembly,” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Amnesty International’s Malaysia researcher.
There were also concerns over how corruption charges against some Umno members might proceed after the party retakes leadership of the country.
Muhyiddin, who is serving as caretaker prime minister, said on Thursday that his alliance would back his former deputy until it was suitable to hold elections. However, he said such support was dependent upon the cabinet being free of any members who have been charged with corruption.
