New Malaysian Prime Minister clocks in for work

The new Prime Minister of Malaysia Muhyiddin Yassin arrived on Monday to clock in for work amid disputes on his legitimacy, after the shock resignation of Mahathir Mohamad last week.

Muhyiddin Yassin, a seasoned politician who once famously quipped that he is Malay first and Malaysian second, was sworn in as the new leader at the palace Sunday after getting the support of several opposition parties.

Muhyiddin served in various ministries during Mahathir's first stint as prime minister for 22 years until 2003.

He was appointed as deputy prime minister when Najib took power in 2009 but was sacked in 2015 after he criticized Najib’s handling of the 1MDB scandal.

Bersatu teamed up with the Alliance of Hope with a pact that Mahathir would eventually hand over power to former rival Anwar Ibrahim.

Muhyiddin was the former home minister under the short-lived alliance but only took up the post months later following treatment for pancreatic cancer.

Muhyiddin's new government, dubbed the National Alliance, has stoked fears of increasing Islamization because it will also bring to power a fundamentalist Islamic party with strong rural support that espouses strict Islamic laws.

Ethnic Malays account for 60% of Malaysia's 32 million people, which includes sizable minorities of ethnic Chinese and Indians.