Dr Mahathir sworn in as Malaysia's PM as new political era dawns

KUALA LUMPUR ― After a day of twists and turns that left an anxious nation desperate for scraps of news, 92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad was sworn in at around 10 pm on Thursday (May 10) night as Malaysia’s seventh Prime Minister.

Clad in an all-black baju Melayu complete with songkok, and accompanied by his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah, in a baju kurung, Dr Mahathir recited the oath of office he is intimately familiar with at the Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur as Malaysians across the country watched a live broadcast in rapt attention.

About an hour before the ceremony, the National Palace released a statement saying that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had formally invited Dr Mahathir to form the next government.

This came after the King reviewed documents on the official election results from the Election Commission, and spoke with four of Dr Mahathir's allies in the opposition Pakatan Harapan pact - Datuk Seri Wan Azizah, Mr Muhyiddin Yassin, Mr Lim Guan Eng and Haji Mohamad Sabu.

In its statement, the Palace also denied allegations that the King had delayed the swearing in of the new Prime Minister, adding: "His Majesty the King strongly supports and respects the democratic process and the wishes of his subjects. His Majesty looks forward to working with Tun Dr Mahathir and his administration for the betterment of our nation and all its people." 

The swearing-in ceremony brought to a close a day of high drama which began in the wee hours with the official announcement of an election result that all but the most fervent opposition supporters did not envisage: The Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, led by Dr Mahathir, had broken the Barisan Nasional pact’s 61-year grip on power.

The opposition defeated BN in states such as Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Kedah, Perak and Malacca, while retaining Penang and Selangor.

Johor, the birthplace of the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), BN's main component party, was widely seen as unassailable.

BN also lost Terengganu to Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, which retained control of its stronghold in Kelantan. In a further rebuke to BN, eight of its ministers and 19 deputy ministers lost their parliamentary seats.

Over the course of the next few hours, the country lurched from one rumour to another.

Dr Mahathir put PH on the front foot when he declared before dawn that he would seek to be named PM shortly after official results were announced, but as the morning dragged on without official pronouncements or an appearance from the vanquished BN leaders, anxiety rose among Malaysians who had celebrated an historic turn of events just hours before.

The long-awaited appearance by ousted prime minister Najib Tun Razak did little to quell the anxiety, as he appeared to leave the question of who would govern hanging, by declaring that the King would decide who would be the country’s next PM as there was no party that commanded a simple majority.

Shortly after, Dr Mahathir upped the ante again at a press conference of his own, where he said he expected to be sworn in by 5pm.

Expressing urgency in forming a new government, he told a packed media conference on Thursday afternoon: "There is a lot of work to be done. You know the mess the country is in, and we need to attend to this soon as possible, and that is today."

As the clock ticked towards 5pm, a measure of relief settled over the country as statements by officials and members of royalty appeared to signal that a peaceful transition of power would occur on schedule.

But as the hour came and went without news, Malaysians began to fidget again, before an eventual announcement at dusk settled that the swearing-in would take place at 9.30pm.

Speaking at a press conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya late on Thursday night after he was sworn in, Dr Mahathir said the delay was unavoidable because of "certain official processes".

"But the important thing is, at the end of the day, I was sworn in," he said.

His top priority is to strengthen Malaysia's economy and finances, he added, as he sought to reassure businessmen that the country remains investor-friendly.

"I would like to tell the business people they can push up prices in the stock market.  We want to see an active stock market and an increase in the capitalisation of the stock market."

Dr Mahathir addressing the media after he was sworn in as the new Prime Minister.   Photo: Nuria Ling / TODAY

As he spoke, Datuk Seri Najib took to Twitter to congratulate him on his appointment, promising to “help ensure a smooth transition of power”.

Dr Mahathir reiterated that PH would rule according to Malaysia’s laws and Constitution, and pledged to make the ringgit as steady as possible, and return billions of dollars lost in a graft scandal at state fund 1MDB..

Among its first orders of business is to form a Cabinet, adding that the PH presidential council will meet on Friday to discuss the issue.

 “Tomorrow is a public holiday but I won't take any holiday," he said, drawing laughter from the 100 odd journalists in the room.  

"There are quite a number of things we need to do - some are policy decisions so it will be a very busy time (for us)."

Analysts say PH has its work cut out for it, as all eyes are now on how it sets out to fulfil the promises it laid out during campaigning.

Dr Francis Hutchinson, coordinator of the Malaysia Studies Programme at the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute, said Dr Mahathir's immediate task would be to focus on consolidating his hold on government and keeping unity in PH.

“This will entail ensuring that the Sabah-based Warisan party stays in the coalition, thus ensuring a comfortable majority. Then, he will need to distribute cabinet positions to the various Pakatan Harapan component parties, with sufficient number for each to remain committed,” said Dr Hutchinson.

This process will take a while as it entails substantial negotiations, including appointing some party leaders who were not elected MPs as senators to enable them to join the Cabinet.

“Beyond that, Pakatan Harapan will need to look at financial-management issues, the independence of the judiciary as well as the far-reaching issues with the electoral system.”

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KENNETH CHENG IN JOHOR