Allegations that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had written in support of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, have raised questions on whether Pakatan Harapan should accept backing from those on trial for corruption.
Two Harapan leaders Malaysiakini spoke to were open to the idea of working with Zahid, while one was against it.
The claim that Zahid backed Anwar was made by Ketereh MP Annuar Musa at a press conference today, after his removal as BN secretary-general by the Umno president.
For Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub, the revelation was of no surprise.
"We've known about the support for a long time... since Sept 23, when Anwar said he had a strong formidable majority," Salahuddin told Malaysiakini.
He also said anyone was free to support anyone, including Zahid supporting Anwar, if the goal was to topple the "backdoor" Perikatan Nasional Plus government.
But whether or not Harapan should form a government with Zahid was another matter, he said.
"We'll cross the bridge when we get there," he said.
Should the PN government fall, Salahuddin is in favour of forming a new government to fight Covid-19 and heal the economy, and is against a snap election.
Meanwhile, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim said there must be a separation between Zahid the individual on trial for corruption and Zahid as the Umno president representing 38 MPs and three million Malay members nationwide.
"If Anwar accepts Zahid's support to form a new, strong federal government with PKR and DAP and involving all races, for me, this is a good political development, with conditions," Hassan said when contacted.
The conditions, he said, include that Zahid should not tie his support to his ongoing trial over 47 charges of money laundering, corruption and criminal breach of trust.
"Anwar must ensure the rule of law is supreme, that there is no disturbance to the justice process involving Zahid.
"The independence of the judiciary must be protected," Hassan said.
Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan has revealed that one of the party's sore points with PN is the continuation of court cases against Umno and its leaders.
Meanwhile, Hassan added that Zahid's support must also be aimed at building a Malaysia for all its people, and for their rights to be protected.
He added that the Umno president must also aid in institutional reforms, eradicating corruption, poverty and improving good governance.
If these terms are agreed to, Hassan said, it is not wrong for Anwar to accept Zahid's support.
"To Anwar and Zahid, I remind them: if they want to be seen as patriots and statesmen, don't just think about the next election but consider the fate of the next generation of Malaysians," he added.
For DAP publicity secretary Tony Pua, however, it's a resounding no when it comes to cooperation with Zahid.
"We should not collaborate with crooks," he said in brief.
Pua had previously rejected attempts to form a government with the support of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak when the latter had lobbied BN to support Anwar.
Umno's Annuar earlier claimed that he had seen "black and white" evidence of Zahid supporting the PKR president's bid to topple the PN Plus government.
Anwar had in October claimed to have secured a majority to form a new government.
At the time, Zahid and Najib were said to have signed statutory declarations to this effect.
However, the Istana Negara said Anwar had failed to furnish names to back his claim.
Later, in December, there was another rumour that Anwar had secured 113 statutory declarations to prove he had a majority.
Around the same time, Annuar claimed that efforts to align Umno with Anwar were also underway.
On Dec 15, a few days after the rumours surfaced, Pakatan Harapan failed in its final attempt to defeat Budget 2021.
The supply was passed in the Dewan Rakyat, with 111 MPs in favour and 108 against.
Following this, Anwar's allies DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu urged the opposition to stop waiting for defections from the government.
"Not a single government backbencher voted with Harapan, including those who allegedly supported Anwar," they said in a joint statement.
PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, however, expressed confidence that Anwar could still prove he has a majority, either in the Dewan Rakyat or through SDs. - Mkini
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