Malaysian PM Mahathir resigns

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad submitted his resignation letter on Monday.

Mahathir has also offered to resign as the chairman of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), which was previously one of the four component parties of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.

"Mahathir Mohamad had sent a letter of resignation as Prime Minister of Malaysia today," the Prime Minister's Office said in a brief statement, adding that the letter had been given to the Malaysian King or Agong.

Earlier PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin announced leaving the coalition with the party's supreme council making the decision after a meeting on Feb. 23.

"All members of the House of Representatives of the party are also out of Pakatan Harapan. All of them have signed the oath to continue to support and trust Mahathir Mohamad as Prime Minister of Malaysia," the PPBM president said.

"This decision is made taking into account the current and future political developments of the country," he said.

Mahathir himself has neither spoken publicly since announcing his resignation nor provided any reason or explanation for doing so.

The developments come amid the intense speculation that a possible political realignment was being planned, with several political parties, including the opposition, holding meetings on Sunday.

After a Pakatan Harapan Supreme Council meeting on Friday, Mahathir insisted that he would step down after the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit at the end of year but the exact timing will be decided by himself.

Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir's one-time deputy, who had met with Mahathir earlier on Monday, said after the meeting that he is satisfied with the outcome of the meeting during which they discussed several issues.

"It was a very good meeting. I am satisfied with his stance that we must prioritize our principles and the reform agenda must continue. That is all I can say for now," he said.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also the secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party, said the party would stand by Mahathir, and that the 94-year-old had resigned due to his principles, refusing to work with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) or form a "back-door" government through undemocratic means.

"This is the first time that a Malaysian prime minister is prepared to resign on principle to uphold integrity and combat corruption," he said, blaming "renegade and theaceous" elements for attempting to form a government through the back door.

The PH coalition comprising Mahathir's PPBM, the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Parti Amanah Negara, took power during the national polls in May 2018, defeating the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which ruled the country since 1957.