‘DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE – BUT DON’T LINK IT TO ME’ – TYPICAL MAHATHIR BACKSTABBING REVEALED BY H’S MOST TRUSTED POL-SEC – ‘HE DIDN’T WANT ANWAR TO BE PM & ALSO WANTED DAP OUT OF THE GOVT. HE THEN SUGGESTED A POLITICAL MANOEUVRE. ALHAMDULILAH, BERSATU GOT OUT OF PAKATAN’

DR Mahathir Mohamad indeed wanted Bersatu to leave Pakatan Harapan so as to rein in DAP, said an ex-aide to the former prime minister.

Muhammad Zahid Mat Arip, who was Dr Mahathir’s political secretary, said the Bersatu founder was also out to prevent PKR president Anwar Ibrahim from taking over as prime minister.

“It’s all true… I was helping him realise these goals,” he said in an interview clip on YouTube, confirming the claims made by Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin yesterday.

These matters were discussed in meetings with Malay politicians, said Zahid, believed to be referring to the events leading up to Dr Mahathir’s resignation from the top job in February.

“Each of the meetings lasted more than an hour. If it was just one visit, it could have been a courtesy call, but if there were three, that’s no longer a courtesy call.

“Those discussions were to help realise his ambitions.

“It wasn’t only to stop DAP’s progress, but also, (Dr Mahathir) didn’t want Anwar to become the eighth prime minister.”

Zahid said he asked Dr Mahathir himself whether the latter wanted Anwar to succeed him.

“I asked him directly, ‘Do you want Anwar or not?’. He shook his head.”

He said he then suggested that a political manoeuvre be undertaken.

“(Dr Mahathir) said to do what needed doing, but not to link him to it.

“Alhamdulillah, (Bersatu) got out of PH. Anwar didn’t become prime minister. And, DAP is not in the government.”

Efforts to take Bersatu out of the former ruling pact were discussed by the supreme council, he said, and were not done by president Muhyiddin Yassin alone.

He added, however, that Dr Mahathir was not involved in talks to form a “Malay unity” government.

“What wasn’t discussed by the supreme council was (Dr Mahathir’s) wish to form a unity government – he quit as prime minister to form such a government – that wasn’t discussed at all.”

Zahid’s statements come after several photos of Dr Mahathir and Malay leaders, including Muhyiddin, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PAS’ Abdul Hadi Awang, having a meeting at the former prime minister’s residence made the rounds on social media today.

The pictures were shared following speculation that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Redzuan Yusof and Deputy Works Minister Shahruddin Md Salleh, both Bersatu men, have switched to Dr Mahathir’s camp after the party chairman’s membership was unceremoniously “stopped”, along with four other MPs.

However, the duo have denied retracting support for Muhyiddin and his Perikatan Nasional administration.

The loss of support from Alor Gajah MP Redzuan and Sri Gading’s Shahruddin would leave PN with just 111 seats in Parliament, one short of the minimum 112 needed to form the government.

THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT