In 1971, Muhyiddin joined the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the lynchpin of a coalition that ruled Malaysia for six decades until its defeat in 2018.
He was chief minister of southern Johor state, a heartland of the country's Malay Muslim majority, and later served in senior posts in central government.
Muhyiddin was named deputy prime minister in 2009 when Najib Razak was prime minister.
But he later fell out with Najib after criticising him over the multibillion-dollar scandal linked to state fund 1MDB, and was sacked in 2015.
Najib was accused of looting huge sums from 1MDB, allegations that contributed to his coalition's 2018 poll defeat.
He was convicted last year and sentenced to 12 years in jail, although he remains free pending an appeal.
Muhyiddin later joined a party set up by Mahathir, and helped to oust Najib and UMNO from power.
In a volte-face typical of Malaysia's turbulent politics, he joined hands with UMNO again last year to win enough support to become prime minister.
But when he refused to intervene in corruption cases against some of the party's members of parliament, several pulled support, leaving him without a parliamentary majority.
And crucially, the influential king, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, also turned against him.
KABUL (AFP) - United States troops fired shots into the air and all commercial flights were cancelled at Kabul airport on Monday (Aug 16) as thousands of Afghans crowded onto the tarmac in the hope of catching any flight out after the weekend Taleban takeover.
Dramatic footage posted on social media showed a scene of chaos on the runway, with civilians frantically clambering up an already overcrowded and buckling set of air-stairs.
It was a desperate bid to board a parked passenger plane and escape the city a day after the government's collapse.
As a crowd of hundreds watched on, those who successfully climbed the stairs helped others up, while some hung from the stair railings by their hands.
Panicked families trying to flee the capital carried overpacked luggage, with frightened children in tow.
The situation caused such a commotion that US troops fired into the air to restore order and all commercial flights were cancelled.
"I feel very scared here. They are firing lots of shots into the air," the witness said, asking not to be named in case it jeopardised his chances of leaving.
An information board displaying flights from Kabul to India being cancelled is pictured at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, on Aug 16, 2021. PHOTO: AFP
The US State Department said American troops had secured the perimeter of the airport as they evacuate embassy employees and thousands of Afghans who worked for Washington's interests since they toppled the Taleban in the wake of the Sept 11 attacks.
The US embassy in Kabul tweeted to tell American nationals and Afghans to "not travel to the airport".
But thousand more Afghans - even some with no links to the US-led coalition - showed up in the hope of getting out, even without tickets or visas for foreign destinations.
The bedlam at the airport came just hours after Taleban leaders ordered their fighters into Kabul to maintain order as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
"We are afraid to live in this city and we are trying to flee Kabul," said a 25-year old man who also asked to be identified only as Ahmed.
Many of the arrivals were fuelled by rumours, or fake news spread on social media.
"I read on Facebook that Canada is accepting asylum from Afghanistan," said Ahmed.
"Since I served in the army... there is danger. The Taleban would definitely target me."
The US said it had evacuated its entire embassy staff to the airport, but they were being kept separate from those without permission to travel.
Other videos posted on social media also showed desperate scenes overnight of people fighting to cram into the back of a cargo plane.
Outside of the airport, an uneasy calm held over Kabul as armed Taleban insurgents patrolled the streets and set up checkpoints.
Taleban militants stand guard outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport as people walk to the airport to flee the country in Kabul, on Aug 16, 2021. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
In a message posted to social media, Taleban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar called on his fighters to remain disciplined after taking control of the city.
"Now it's time to test and prove, now we have to show that we can serve our nation and ensure security and comfort of life," he said.
The scenes at the airport were reminiscent of the chaos that enveloped Washington's earlier bungled escape from Vietnam in 1975, even as Washington swatted away the comparison.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Cabinet has submitted its resignation to the king, said a government minister on Monday (Aug 16).
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin wrote on Instagram: "The Cabinet has tendered our resignation to the Agong. Thank you for the opportunity to, once again, serve the nation. May God bless Malaysia."
On Monday morning, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin chaired a Cabinet meeting, before proceeding for a royal audience with King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
Malaysian media has reported that he will address the nation shortly.
The Cabinet's resignation came amid a political power play unfolding in Malaysia.
Early this month, a number of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) lawmakers, led by party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, withdrew their support for Mr Muhyiddin, compromising his already razor-thin parliamentary majority.
The prime minister initially insisted that he still commanded the parliamentary majority, and promised to prove his legitimacy through a motion of confidence scheduled to be tabled in the parliament on Sep 7.
Last Friday, Mr Muhyiddin appeared in a televised address to seek bipartisan support to survive the confidence motion.
However, his proposal was rejected by Pakatan Harapan (PH), which said that this was essentially an open admission that he had lost the support of the majority of the Lower House. The opposition bloc called for him to step down.
UMNO, too, said it would not consider offers from "a person who no longer has legitimacy", adding that his offer could be characterised as an "open bribery".
Mr Muhyiddin is president of the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) leading the Perikatan Nasional government.
He was sworn in as the country's eighth prime minister on Mar 1, 2020 following a power tussle, which saw him pulling Bersatu out of then-ruling PH coalition and causing its collapse.
During his 17-month tenure as premier, Mr Muhyiddin has been criticised by some quarters for failing to lead the Malaysian government effectively in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Malaysia is in the midst of its deadliest COVID-19 wave, with daily infection numbers exceeding 20,000 cases.
In total, the country has seen more than 1.4 million COVID-19 cases and more than 12,000 deaths.
Many Afghans fear the Taliban will return to past harsh practices in their imposition of sharia, or Islamic religious law. During their 1996 to 2001 rule, women could not work and punishments such as stoning, whipping and hanging were administered.
The militants sought to project a more moderate face, promising to respect women's rights and protect both foreigners and Afghans.
"We are ready to have a dialogue with all Afghan figures and will guarantee them the necessary protection," Naeem told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Taliban and all other parties to exercise the utmost restraint, and expressed particular concern about the future of women and girls in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon authorized another 1,000 troops to help evacuate US citizens and Afghans who worked for them, a US official said.
A senior US defense official told Reuters on Sunday evening in Washington that about 500 people, mostly Americans, had so far been evacuated, and that the number would rise to 5,000 a day when all planned US forces are in Kabul.
European nations, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, also said they were working to get citizens as well as some Afghan employees out of the country.
Russia said it saw no need to evacuate its embassy for the time being. Turkey said its embassy would continue operations.
AMERICAN EVACUATION
Asked if images of helicopters ferrying personnel were evocative of the United States’ departure from Vietnam in 1975, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ABC News: "Let's take a step back. This is manifestly not Saigon."
Biden has faced rising domestic criticism after sticking to a plan, initiated by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, to end the US military mission in Afghanistan by Aug 31.
In a statement on Sunday, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell blamed Biden for what he called a "shameful failure of American leadership".
"Terrorists and major competitors like China are watching the embarrassment of a superpower laid low," McConnell said.
Footage of Saturday's aftermath posted on social media showed residents reaching into narrow openings in piles of fallen masonry to pull shocked and distraught people from the debris of walls and roofs that had crumbled around them.
Access to the worst-hit areas was complicated by a deterioration in law and order that has left key access roads in parts of Haiti in the hands of gangs. In a video posted on social media, one gang leader said the armed groups had declared a truce along the route to Les Cayes.
Chandler said boats and helicopters were being used to bring in aid but the government was working to establish safe access by road. A first convoy of aid had made it through by land to the region of Les Cayes where, he said, several hospitals had been badly damaged.
"Those that are functional are receiving an overflow of patients, so the personnel is literally overwhelmed," he said.
Following Moise's assassination, which authorities have alleged was carried out by a group of largely Colombian mercenaries and Haitian accomplices, Prime Minister Henry said officials would aim to hold elections for a new president as soon as possible.
However, reports this week suggested that the vote initially earmarked for September would not take place until November. The chaos unleashed by Saturday's disaster is likely to make the task of holding prompt elections harder still.
Haiti has long been politically unstable and Haitians have also suffered from problems stemming from international aid efforts and peace-keeping deployments during the past decade.
A sexual misconduct scandal centering on Oxfam International blighted the record of charity workers in Haiti, while a cholera outbreak linked to UN peacekeepers led to thousands of deaths. Twitter tennis star Naomi Osaka, whose father's family are from Haiti, expressed sorrow on Twitter, saying she would give all the prize money she won at a tournament next week to the relief efforts.
"I know our ancestors blood is strong," she said, "we'll keep rising."
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is expected to step down on Monday, media reports say, after months of political turmoil that resulted in his losing his majority.
If confirmed, Muhyiddin's resignation would end a tumultuous 17 months in office, but could also hamper Malaysia's efforts to reboot a pandemic-stricken economy and curb a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, as there is no obvious successor.
Malaysia's ringgit currency fell to a one-year low and the stock market slipped.
It was not immediately clear who could form the next government, given no one has a clear majority in parliament, or whether elections could be held during the pandemic. Malaysia's infections and fatality rates per million people are the highest in Southeast Asia.
The decision is likely to be thrust into the hands of constitutional monarch King Al-Sultan Abdullah, who can appoint a prime minister from among elected lawmakers based on who he thinks is most likely to command a majority.
Muhyiddin, who has for weeks defied calls to quit, informed party members that he will submit his resignation to the king on Monday, according to Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, a minister in the prime minister's department, news portal Malaysiakini reported on Sunday.
The minister and Muhyiddin's office did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
The prime minister convened a special cabinet meeting on Monday morning, state news agency Bernama reported. He expected to go to the palace later to meet the king.
Muhyiddin's resignation could return the premiership to the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysia's 'grand old party', which was voted out in a 2018 election after being tainted by corruption allegations.
The top two contenders for the premiership or interim prime minister's post include deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and veteran lawmaker Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, both from UMNO.
Muhyiddin's grip on power has been precarious since he took office in March 2020 with a slim majority. Pressure on him mounted recently after some UMNO lawmakers - the largest bloc in the ruling alliance - withdrew support.
Muhyiddin has said the recent crisis was brought on by his refusal to meet demands including the dropping of corruption charges against some individuals.
UMNO politicians, including former premier Najib Razak and party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, are facing graft charges. They have denied wrongdoing and were among those who withdrew support for Muhyiddin this month.
(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Ed Davies and Gerry Doyle)
