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Malaysia election – one year on
This Week in AsiaPolitics

After Sabah election, Muhyiddin sitting in pole position to hold off Anwar and remain Malaysia PM

  • Analysts say prime minister solidified position to call – and win – snap election despite plan by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to oust him
  • Muhyiddin achieved a second major coup as allies surprisingly picked a member of his party to be the state’s chief minister

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“That [Prime Minister] Muhyiddin [Yassin] has been able to secure the chief minister position in Sabah for Bersatu strengthens his clout,” one analyst said. Photo: Bernama
Bhavan JaipragasandTashny Sukumaran
The months of fierce turmoil in Malaysia’s federal-level politics ultimately played only a minor role in the outcome of the weekend’s state elections in Sabah, but nonetheless it was Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin who has emerged as the biggest winner following the polls.
And in coming out on top in the closely watched state-level battle, the 73-year-old leader’s strengthened hand gives him a good chance of winning a snap general election if he calls one soon – despite a recent threat by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to oust him through defections.
This was the consensus of political analysts on Monday as Muhyiddin, fresh off the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) alliance’s victory in Sabah on Saturday, achieved a second major coup as allies surprisingly picked a member of his party to be the state’s chief minister.

GRS comprises Muhyiddin’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), the larger, decades-old former ruling United Malays National Organisation (Umno) party and Sabah-based collaborators.

Expectations earlier had been that Umno – with its major sway in federal politics – would demand the chief minister’s position. But following two days of intense talks, Mohd Hajiji Mohd Noor, of the PPBM, was selected. He will be sworn in by the state governor on Tuesday.

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