Malaysia's former prime minister Muhyiddin appointed to lead national recovery council

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has been appointed as chairman of the National Recovery Council, government chief secretary Mohd Zuki Ali said on Saturday (Sep 4).

The Cabinet on Wednesday agreed to the minister-level appointment for Muhyiddin based on confidence in him to lead a recovery strategy to "achieve the best economic impact and restore the lives of people affected by the pandemic", the chief secretary said in a statement.

The appointment has been presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Mohd Zuki said.

Muhyiddin stepped down last month after losing majority support in parliament. The 74-year-old left office after just 17 months - the shortest-serving prime minister since Malaysia's independence in 1957.

His successor, Ismail Sabri Yaakob of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), was sworn in on Aug 21.

Malaysia reported 19,057 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing its cumulative caseload to more than 1.8 million. There have been more than 17,500 COVID-19 deaths in the country.