After three months of MCO, what does Dr Mahathir’s camp of 115 MPs look like now?

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad presented in February a list of 115 MPs purportedly backing him to be sworn in as prime minister for the third time after a political crisis, but how have things changed?

Ida Lim, Malay Mail Online

In what is arguably Malaysia’s most important numbers game in politics, a simple majority of elected MPs in the Dewan Rakyat is needed to form government, which means support from at least 112 out of the 222 MPs is required.

The last week of February 2020 saw a series of dramatic events take place, including the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government and a scramble to prove majority support to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who was forced to step in to help resolve the political crisis.

In that historic week filled with twists and turns, PH on February 29 morning changed its prime minister candidate from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to Dr Mahathir who said he was confident of majority support, with all party presidents across the political divide meeting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the same day to present their candidate choice, with the Agong then announcing in the afternoon that Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin would be the next prime minister.

Dr Mahathir on the night of February 29 released a list of 114 MPs backing him, before updating it to 115 after adding an MP that was inadvertently left out. But the effort was ultimately too late for PH, as Muhyiddin was sworn in on March 1 morning as the eighth prime minister of Malaysia.

Muhyiddin on March 9 unveiled his full Cabinet line-up under the new Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, which included some of the MPs that were in Dr Mahathir’s February list.

Since then, the country has also undergone an unprecedented movement control order (MCO) to limit the spread of Covid-19, which also restricted the movement of politicians and lawmakers during this crucial period.

Below is a comparison of Dr Mahathir’s initial list of 115 MPs on February 29 and how it has changed then, which in some cases illustrate how quickly political loyalties and allegiances can change in Malaysia:

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