If Ismail Sabri Yaakob fails to secure the majority in the Dewan Rakyat, will we then see Malaysia changing the prime minister yet again, he said, according to Harian Metro.

“The whole world will laugh at us,” the Pejuang chairman told the Malay daily.

Mahathir said this when asked to comment on Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s call for a confidence motion to be tabled when Parliament reconvenes.

The Umno veteran said this was necessary to prove that Ismail commanded the majority and to allow him to administer the country without any interference.

Ismail was named as the country’s ninth prime minister earlier this week, succeeding Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin who resigned from the post on Aug 16.

Muhyiddin was forced to step down from the post after he lost the support of the majority.

Last week, Istana Negara said the King had decreed that whoever became the prime minister must table a vote of confidence in the Dewan Rakyat to prove that he commanded the majority support of MPs.