Aide denies rumours of Dr M audience with Agong for new gov't

An aide to Dr Mahathir Mohamad has dismissed rumours of a purported audience today between the former premier and Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

When contacted, the aide said Mahathir had spent the day at his office at the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya.

"No, he is in office," the aide told Malaysiakini in a brief text message, adding that the former premier had taken part in a live Facebook interview just earlier this afternoon.

Speculation around the purported audience was partly fueled by various social media postings that had made their rounds since last night.

Pro-Harapan blogger Shahbudin Husin posted an article that indicated Pakatan Harapan had once again obtained enough support from members of parliament to take over the government from Perikatan Nasional.

His posting was later picked up by PN observers and Harapan critics who described the speculations as mere "psychological warfare".

Responding to blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, Shahbudin denied that he had cited an exact figure of 129 MPs in support of Mahathir to return as prime minister.

"At this point, I don't dare to confirm if the 129 figure is accurate or otherwise, but having enough numbers is correct [...]," said Shahbudin.

The PN government currently holds a slim two-seat majority in Parliament with 114 MPs to Harapan's 107 MPs and one independent.

In the immediate aftermath of the Sheraton Move which saw the downfall of Harapan, Mahathir had announced plans to mount a vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in Parliament.

He later conceded that he longer had the numbers needed to push for Muhyiddin's ouster.

The plan, however, appears to be on track with Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Mohd Yusof accepting a proposal for a motion of no-confidence against Muhyiddin ahead of Dewan Rakyat sitting on May 18.

The one-day sitting which then cut short to only feature the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's royal address.

In his address, the King had urged MPs not to drag the country into another round of political uncertainty at a time when the people are facing hardship as a result of the (Covid-19) pandemic. - Mkini