Malaysia’s new PM strikes conciliatory tone in 1st address

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s new prime minister has struck a conciliatory tone in his first national address. A day after being sworn in, Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he will embrace the opposition in an effort to tackle the runaway pandemic and revive a slumping economy. Ismail said Sunday the political battles that led to a change of government twice since 2018 elections had been detrimental to the country. He said: “Let us stem this grab for political power,” and called for “cross-party cooperation.” Many view Ismail’s appointment as a return to the status quo. He was the deputy prime minister under Malaysia’s previous leader, who resigned last week as infighting in his coalition cost him majority support.