KUAL LUMPUR— Malaysia's
new prime minister called on his colleagues
Sunday to end a months-long political crisis and come together to fight the
COVID-19 pandemic, in his first speech as the country's fourth premier in as
many years.
اضافة اعلان
Just days after the previous government collapsed in a storm of political
infighting, Ismail Sabri Yaakob urged lawmakers to unite to help the country
recover from the pandemic.
"The political crisis that has hit the country is causing unrest among
the people," the 61-year-old said in a televised address Sunday
evening.
"Let us move forward. Let us stem this grab for political power."
Malaysia has been enveloped in a political crisis for months amid growing public
anger over the government's handling of the pandemic.
Thousands have lost their jobs as businesses nationwide have been forced to
close due to a series of
lockdowns put in place to halt the spread of COVID-19.
Those measures are widely seen as having failed to mitigate the pandemic,
and Malaysia's healthcare infrastructure is now overwhelmed as it records an
average of 20,000 new infections and hundreds of deaths every day.
Ismail said Sunday his government aimed to help the economy by focusing on
raising people's purchasing power and aid the country's embattled private
sector.
"Our focus will be on Malaysians who have lost their jobs and their
livelihood," he said.
"I will also make sure that no Malaysian, regardless of race, religion,
or ethnicity, will be left behind."
The premier also invited leaders of the political opposition to join special
councils formed to combat the virus and help the economic recovery.
Ismail succeeded Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned after a turbulent 17 months
in office on Monday following the collapse of his razor-thin majority in
parliament.
A deputy premier in the previous cabinet and a senior official in the ruling
United Malays National Organization party, Ismail was then picked by a majority
of MPs to be their leader.
But his government has come under criticism for containing many familiar
faces — including Muhyiddin and his allies — and just as vulnerable to collapse
as its predecessor.
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