Malaysia PM Mahathir Mohamad submits resignation, confirms in a tweet

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad submitted his resignation letter to Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, the Malaysian king, today at 1 pm. The PM also confirmed the news in a tweet today.

Mahathir (pictured) returned to office as PM in 2018, when he led Pakatan Harapan to a thrilling victory over Barisan Nasional during the 14th General Elections.

He was previously Malaysia’s PM in 1981 and served for 22 years until 2003. The latest news comes amidst multiple media outlets including South China Morning Post and TODAY Online, reporting that UMNO and Islamist Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) will united with Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) and People’s Justice Party (PKR) to form the new coalition.

Bersatu is led by Mahathir while PKR is led by Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim. Quoting state constituency assemblyman Chong Fat Full, TODAY Online said the new coalition will be named Perikatan Nasional.

Two years ago, following his rise into power, the PM encouraged Malaysians to mirror the patriotic spirit of the Japanese by purchasing local products. According to Bernama, the PM said doing so can help enable Malaysian goods to become as popular as other renowned brands worldwide. He added that “practical patriotism” was also the reason that led to the Japanese being supportive of industries such as automotive, the report said. Compared to global brands, local brands have the advantage due to the “innate understanding” they possess of local sensitivities.

The PM came to power following the 14th Malaysian General Election (GE14) which went down in history as a watershed one, stunning the country and creating hope for Malaysians. Newly-elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad did not waste any time in getting down to business, announcing the abolition of the goods and services tax (GST), as well as appointing Gobind Singh Deo as the Communications and Multimedia Minister. The Employees Provident Fund also then said in a statement on its website that it “remains optimistic” about the long-term outlook of the Malaysian economy, following the formation of the new government post-GE14.

Meanwhile brands such as AirAsia have also celebrated the PM in the past with its 2019 National Day and Malaysia Day tribute video narrated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr Mahathir Mohamad and novelist and poet, Sri A Samad Said. It was part of its 360-degree thematic campaign, “Your Journey, Our Passion” to celebrate Malaysian unity.

(Read also: Social talk: What were Malaysians most concerned about during #GE14?)