Simpang Renggam MP Maszlee Malik today mooted the possibility of fresh blood leading the opposition amid an impasse between PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and disputed Bersatu chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad on who should lead and become prime minister if the coalition regains power.
Maszlee (above) said the reality was if the opposition wants to win power, it needs to be led by someone who can not only command the support of sufficient MPs in West Malaysia but also appeal to the East Malaysia political bloc.
This, he said, was something the opposition - Barisan Alternatif and Pakatan Rakyat, the predecessors of Pakatan Harapan - were not able to achieve for almost two decades.
While he acknowledged that Harapan, with the aid of Bersatu, was able to win a majority of seats in the 2018 general election, it was bolstered by the Sabah political bloc as Warisan supported Mahathir.
Likewise, he said compared to Anwar, Mahathir was able to appeal to the Sarawak political bloc led by GPS.
He questioned even if Harapan remained in the opposition now, will it be able to return to power in the 15th general election without the ability to appeal to the East Malaysia political bloc.
"The question is, amid the uncertainty with Mahathir's aura, can Anwar lead Harapan to victory in the 15th general election?
"Will the people once again stake their hope or face another disappointment as they did in the 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2013 general elections?
"Or will the people be ready to accept the reality that the non-BN bloc must be led by someone else or the young generation?" he said in a statement.
He said if these considerations are not made, then people may have to stand by and watch as a corrupt and kleptocratic Umno and BN reign over the country.
As such, Maszlee appealed to both Anwar and Mahathir to reconcile and work out a formula for the opposition.
He also alluded that the previous Harapan model was unsustainable by quoting Albert Einstein: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".
"I appeal for all quarters to put the country's interest first over personal ambitions. It is not about who becomes prime minister but the country we love.
"If the debate over who becomes prime minister continues to be discussed and does not end, Harapan will be seen as being in an endless internal crisis and its momentum would evaporate.
"We would be leaving our country to be governed by the corrupt and rotten.
"The country needs Mahathir. The country also needs Anwar," he said.
The Harapan government collapsed in late February after Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin pulled his party out of the coalition government.
Muhyiddin was sworn in as the new prime minister on March 1, after Mahathir refused to lead the new coalition he put together comprising Bersatu, PKR defectors, BN, PAS, GPS, PBS, and STAR.
Under the Harapan government, the coalition was plagued with uncertainty over the power transition from Mahathir to Anwar.
Mahathir has been working to rebuild a new majority but Anwar's PKR appears reluctant to throw its support behind him this time.
Maszlee had sided with Mahathir over Muhyiddin, resulting in his removal from Bersatu which is presently controlled by Muhyiddin. - Mkini
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