a reminder now of our top stories. amazon employees in more than 30 countries have gone on strike to protest against the e-commerce giant policies. the call to action will coincide with one of the busiest shopping days of the year. asking for better working conditions and better wages. >> with a small amount of money or salary you earn, you can't live in this time. i have three children and we both work and we have a huge problem because the costs have risen so a sleeve that you can't live with what you earn.

>> under pressure, people fall sick, and have a work-related accident. on top of that, amazon doesn't recognize people who have an accident at work. >> in brazil, three people killed and several others injured after a gunman attacked schools in the southeastern state. official see a teenager in military attire opened fire and the suspect has been arrested. european interior ministers have failed to produce a concrete plan after an emergency meeting and migration. they continue to work together to reform the system. at least 50 people have been killed by russian shelling in the southern ukrainian city. russia has stepped up attacks. ukrainians are racing to restore electricity supplies as temperatures reached zero.

uganda has shut schools nationwide in a bid to stop an outbreak of a virus that has killed 55 people. and it has been another day of drama at the world cup. the iranians were soundly beaten in the opening game against england but this victory sets up a crucial match for the usa in their final game. other headline news continues after inside story.

>> after decades in opposition, malaysia's new prime minister is the fourth leader in four years and faces a strong conservative opposition. so will he bring political stability to malaysia? this is inside story? . >> welcome to the program. the veteran malaysian politician has been sworn in as prime minister and follows negotiations after last saturday's elections in which no alliance secured a clear majority. the 75-year-old lead street protests for democratic reforms and strung together a multiethnic coalition while in prison on charges widely seen as

politically motivated. they have pledged to fight russia and focus on the economy. first, this report from kuala lumpur. >> from heir apparent to opposition leader. his long career in politics has culminated in him being sworn in as prime minister of malaysia. >> i do solemnly swear to perform my duty as prime minister sincerely into the best of my ability. -- and to the best of my ability. >> charges widely seen as politically motivated. his first imprisonment sparked street protests and led to the birth of the reform movement. upon his release, he united the opposition parties and turned the coalition into a formidable political opponent. he was jailed a second time two years after he led the

opposition to the biggest electoral gains in 2013. the alliance of hope one the largest number of seats in the elections but fell short of a majority. his biggest rival leads the second largest bloc made up of the right wing party and a religiously conservative party. days of negotiations failed to produce a majority support. the political impasse was only broken when the king appointed him after speaking to several mps. >> this is a national political movement to accept the fundamental movements of the government. and malaysia for all malaysians. >> the multiethnic coalition is seen as more reform minded and

liberal. >> i am happy. we have waited too long for this. >> they say there will be no honeymoon for the new government. >> he has to put in place a cabinet that conveys credibility and confidence. he will also have to prove he has majority support in parliament. >> his rival has challenged him to prove his level of support. he has also refused the kings proposal and the two sides setting up a unity government. he faces challenging weeks and months ahead. he will have to introduce reforms to fix the economy and he will lead a country where the racial and ethnic divides have deepened.

>> let's bring in our guest now to talk more about this. we have a member of the malaysian parliament and chief of information for the people's justice party. joining us from tokyo is visiting fellow. and in singapore, we have professor of political science at the university of new york. good to have you all with us. is this a coalition that can work? he has tough challenges ahead. >> it is quite a strange bedfellow. a strange menagerie if you would like to call it that. we were just a few days ago fighting against each other and now we are in the same government together. i think when the king decrees that you form a unity government

, most political parties and political leaders will have to follow. i think the only exception is the party that has decided to remain in opposition. >> will he be able to unite a seemingly divided nation? >> i think so. i think this is a more stable outcome than if this were a unity government inclusive. i agree this is an unusual menagerie of parties but it includes all the major groups to the extent it would be possible with really any other combination of parties. so hopefully it will be more uniting as opposed to divisive. >> will he be able to navigate this strong strain of

nationalism and a return to the religious right? >> i think for this election, there is indeed a rise of conservatism across the country, especially part of malaysia. and we have the rights and therefore having a coalition that is complementary to one another and serving its perspective functions seems to be the best recipe to represent the region. >> taking a step back.

>> what is behind the recent history of political instability, do you think? >> it began with the hedge many. it is in prison. it was not sufficiently resolved because the main component party .

it was diminutive and very small. and we have the old order collapsing in the new order trying to build itself. >> what does he bring to this? this is the job that he has been trying for for much of the last 30 years now and he is finally there, 75 years old. what can he do now? >> if nothing else, it brings a desperate desire to be prime minister.

i think this is what is especially warranted at this point. if you take on something of a statesmanlike role, it is a good fit for him. ironing out differences and having parts of the component parties. and instead for himself, really try to be a peacemaker. to represent his islamist side that he historically came to power in his early days. and also the same multiethnic fairly progressive not so conservative bent that his coalition has really championed starting back in the late 1990's. that's why he left voluntarily -- not really voluntarily, but started championing this new

servicing alternative that has developed into the alliance of hope, as you mentioned. >> there is a multiethnic coalition and the opposition is quite strong as well and is rooted in this conservatism. how hard is it going to be to receive these policies? >> there's something very clear on this agenda which is the best way of actually becoming active and against the rise of experts and islamic extremism is to get those in favor of a more conservative future and between

conservatism and poverty is complicated. and that is including asking ministers for government civil services to set up special things because he knows that if he can be addressed and improve the lives -- and that he would adjust the language that he uses. and then something that is quite natural for him to do, the things that we say could not appear to be too much in the country. >> if we wait this beyond

domestic politics and the various religious issues, what is at stake. what are the biggest challenges the country faces. >> this is entering and a lot of people have lost jobs. it is tough on the ground. and i think a lot of people are hoping this administration. we are cooking up some solutions for people. we are messing up the first that it is, something that will be really significant. chili, chicken, eggs. it seems to be hard to come by. at the end of the day, it's all

about making sure that there is food on the table. so he really has a lot of work ahead. and it's only been a day since he was sworn in. it will take a few more days before he puts together the team for his cabinet. we expect sometime next week it will be half of the team. >> there is no honeymoon time and they will have to tackle the economic problems.

>> a lot of that obviously was personality. it was also a really difficult time to be governing. and really as the pandemic started to pick up, it would be fairly quickly. it is a very challenging time to be governing.

economic development and anticorruption remains very closely with inflation. all of these are first and foremost. this coalition will need to come up with an economic land. it is political appointees and they have actual skill really and credibly. >> what does this mean for malaysia's place in the world? >> it is reflected that personalities.

he is a globalist that you mentioned. with neighbors very close to hell -- to help him. there is multilateralism that he would pursue. they would be creating a strong and they would have more with trade and culture between these nations and accelerate the country's economic performance. and also what they extend to. china's tension would also be east. and what they pursue and

economically benefit, which is what is needed. not picking one side. and well maintaining neutrality. we not only have huge economic potential. >> what do you expect this government to do as far as promoting place in the region? as james was saying not just with china but the united states. >> i think he is a global traveler with many friends in many places.

it was quite a wonderfully messy affair because none of the prime minister's had been put together and here we are. he got a call from erdogan. but that shows, i think, just how the relationships. a lot of that network in action. the prime minister of singapore, and we are in for hopefully better days ahead.

they perhaps did not take advantage, including the united nations general assembly speech. i think they will cost correct on that front. >> you expect a more internationalist approach. >> it was highly consistent. there are no course corrections and changes. we will see minor nuances, but those nuances are important inasmuch as they pull themselves away from and out of the normandy of the db scandal. and it's really trying to find ways to make sure they maintain

it. and it does these things that allow it to regain economic footing. given the economy is so highly externally exposed. any reassurance that he will be able to give and i agree he will be able to give. it is stable political footing prepared to engage with the world. for instance, toward trying to find resolution. they really tried to adopt something of a mediator role. so those sort of things have strength and ambition. those are likely to reseed.

>> malaysia could play more of a mediator role. >> i think that he could play that role and it is quite an opportunity moment as well. and being able to cite the koran. they can only play a mediator role.

they are pursuing that realm. it happens in malaysia. and for the values of islam, we are aligned with those and it could be exposed internationally so that we can get peace as well as any violent regression. this is where we would take leadership positions. >> there has been a history of political instability. i'm assuming that you expect that to change.

>> we have this unity government. that puts us. >> this is the 19th of december. there is disparaging numbers.

i think it is quite brief. ending all speculation about problems of instability. they used it to quell any former descent. this government is stable. >> it will be interesting to see how this plays out but we are out of time. thank you to all three of you. thanks very much for being with us. and thank you as always for watching. you can catch this program any time by going to our website al jazeera.com and for further discussion, go to our facebook page. you can also join the conversation on twitter. for me, and the entire team here, thanks for now.

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