Dr M: If not for Anwar, I'd still be PM

 

Pejuang chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he would still be prime minister if not for PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.

In an interview with Utusan Malaysia, he explained after his resignation as prime minister on Feb 24, 2020, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had to determine which MP had the support of the majority.

"If not because of Anwar, I would still be prime minister. When I resigned, the Agong asked all 220 MPs to write down their choice for prime minister.

"I thought Pakatan Harapan would choose me because I was with Harapan. But Anwar said he had a lot of support.

"(Harapan) gave Anwar 92 votes while I had 62. (The 62 votes) did not come from Harapan but from others. I don't know who.

"If I received those 92 votes from Harapan, I would have 154, and I would be prime minister. (Anwar) caused me to lose, he lost as well," said Mahathir.

He said this when explaining why he did not want to see Anwar and Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin in a big tent opposition.

He described Anwar and Muhyiddin as tidak lurus (not honest). When asked why he thought of the duo as such, Mahathir's reply focused only on Anwar.

"Anwar does not have the support (to be prime minister), but he repeatedly claims (otherwise) because he wants to be prime minister.

"It never happened. He does not have (the requisite) support," he said.

Mahathir said he was receptive to the big tent idea - uniting all opposition parties during the next general election - because it was the only way to defeat BN.

However, he said only honest people should be part of the big tent.

"We have to find people who are lurus. We can't include those who participate in politics just for money. Sorry lah," he said.

The big tent idea surfaced after the Johor state election in March which saw BN winning a super majority despite winning only 43.1 percent of the popular vote.

That election saw all 42 of Pejuang's candidates losing their deposits.

Mahathir said Pejuang hadn't been involved in any concrete discussions towards realising a big tent strategy so far.

"No one has contacted me, other than some from Bersatu," he said.

He added that Pejuang was considering forming ties with "two or three" parties and was looking for partners who are "not corrupt". - Mkini