Former Malaysia prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has advised current Malaysia Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to step down due to how “unstable” the current government is, Malaysia media have reported.

Mahathir said this was the best advice he could offer Muhyiddin now.

Mahathir told reporters on Jan. 7 during a press conference at the Perdana Leadership Foundation: “The difficult thing is when we advise, he doesn’t want to listen, that is the problem."

“The best advice now is when you see that it (government) isn’t as strong anymore, resign lah.”

Previously predicted problem

Mahathir said he had previously predicted that the Muhyiddin would run into problems by joining forces with Umno to form the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

This is due to Umno being the bigger party compared to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

Mahathir added: “I predicted this at the time when they were forming it (PN). I told Muhyiddin, you are going to get into trouble because you are a small party."

“If they pull back, you are finished. But he said he can handle the problem, so we will see how he can handle (it).”

Mahathir is Parti Pejuang Tanah Air’s (Pejuang) pro-tem chairman.

Most unstable government in Malaysia

Mahathir also highlighted that PN only has a slim majority of two to three persons.

When he was prime minister, Mahathir's Barisan Nasional (BN) administration always had a two-thirds majority, the two-time prime minister said.

Such slim numerical advantage is close to having no advantage at all, Mahathir implied.

“If two people were to hop over to Pakatan Harapan (PH), I think the government will topple," Mahathir added.

“So this is the most unstable government in the history of Malaysia because last time our majority was two-thirds, now only two to three persons.”

Umno and Bersatu clashing

Umno and Bersatu have maintained an informal alliance since the ousting of the PH administration in February 2020.

But things could come to a head in the near future.

Umno members are upset at the perceived loss of their privileges under the current PN administration.

Umno members have have demanded the party leadership reassert its influence to take charge of government again by contesting all seats in the next general election.

At least two ministers have voiced their readiness in the past few days to relinquish their posts should Umno part ways with Bersatu.

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Top photo via Mahathir Mohamad