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The two veteran Malaysian politicians, Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim, said yesterday that they put aside their differences for a new push to regain power from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
They said in a joint statement that they rejected the two-month-old Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration that came to power without being elected, and is led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin with the backing of Umno.
Tun Dr Mahathir, 94, and Datuk Seri Anwar, 72, said many of the reforms they introduced when PH was in power for 22 months until the end of February were being dismantled.
Yesterday’s joint statement came on the second anniversary of PH’s unexpected victory over the Barisan Nasional (BN) led by Umno in the May 9, 2018 general election.
Before that, BN had been in power since Malaysia gained independence 61 years ago, but many voters went crazy over the Umno-led coalition following the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad financial scandal that tainted then-Prime Minister Najib Razak.
“We have put aside differences, disputes and disagreements for people. We are old and we don’t have much time left,” said Dr. Mahathir and Mr. Anwar.
“However, our fighting spirit still burns in the souls of young people who dream of reforms. It is time for us to rise up again and return the mandate of the people to the rightful owners.”
The two politicians also said in their statement: “Two years ago, people of all faiths and races helped us through donations and contributions, their voices and suggestions, hope and spirit, to see change for the better in our beloved country.” .
The surprise move was announced when Parliament will sit on May 18, the first time since Tan Sri Muhyiddin and his loose alliance took power two months ago. There will also be 15-day sessions of the Lower House in July.
The Sunday Times learned that, as of last week, parliamentary arrangements indicate that Prime Minister Muhyiddin’s alliance has 113 seats and the opposition 107. Two parliamentarians remain independent.
A minimum of 112 seats is required for camera control.
Just two weeks ago, the two men were still fighting each other. After Dr. Mahathir described Anwar as “crazy” for being impatient to become prime minister, the younger politician replied, “Who is crazy for still being PM at 90 or 95 years old?”
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Chronology of events
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24
The president of which is Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia is leaving the ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH), and 11 Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) MPs led by Vice President Azmin Ali are leaving the party. PH no longer has the minimum of 112 MP needed to govern.
Tun Dr Mahathir resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia and President of Bersatu.
But King Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin of Malaysia appoints him interim prime minister until a new leader is chosen. The cabinet dissolves.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25
The King begins one-on-one interviews with lawmakers to determine who they want as the next prime minister, and whether Parliament should be dissolved or a new government should be formed.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26
Dr. Mahathir appears on national television and says he is trying to form a unity government of individuals who will put aside party politics and ideology.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says that PH’s 92 deputies back him as the top candidate.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27
Dr. Mahathir agrees to return as President of Bersatu.
PH rejects Dr. Mahathir’s plan for a government to abandon PH’s coalition manifesto.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28
The Conference of Rulers meets with the King to discuss the political crisis.
The King then says that he, and not a session of Parliament, will decide who will be the next prime minister. Bersatu says he will nominate Muhyiddin as his prime minister candidate.
Umno, Parti Islam SeMalaysia, the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Malaysian Indian Congress also endorse Muhyiddin as prime minister. They are joined by the Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition.
SUNDAY, MARCH 1
The king swears in Muhyiddin as Prime Minister of Malaysia.
MONDAY, MARCH 9
Prime Minister Muhyiddin presents his cabinet.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18
The new Malaysian government imposes a movement control order (MCO) to curb the spread of Covid-19.
MONDAY, MAY 4
Mr. Muhyiddin relaxes the curbs, establishes “conditional MCO”.
SATURDAY MAY 9
Dr. Mahathir and Mr. Anwar announce a truce in a joint statement as they push for PH to regain power.
The latest truce followed decades of a love-hate relationship between Dr. Mahathir and his former protégé. When PH won a surprising victory in the general election, Dr. Mahathir became prime minister a second time, while Anwar, who was in prison, received a royal pardon and was released.
But Anwar’s supporters were pressing him to take over as prime minister in two years, while Dr. Mahathir rejected it. Tensions between the two leaders over the transfer destabilized the PH, as did the ongoing fight between Anwar and his then deputy Azmin Ali for control of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
Meanwhile, voters were not happy because the government had failed to curb inflation, while Malaysian voters were concerned about the perceived erosion of Malaysian and Muslim rights under PH.
On February 24, Dr. Mahathir shocked the Malays by unexpectedly resigning as prime minister, while Datuk Seri Azmin and a group of parliamentarians left PKR to join Muhyiddin.
Today, although PN is led by Muhyiddin and Azmin, the second most powerful cabinet official, Umno has indicated that he does not want to formalize the PN pact. Umno leaders said they prefer to consolidate a pact between the party and Parti Islam SeMalaysia called Muafakat Nasional, as they see a return to power with the help of the Islamist party.
Dr. Mahathir, in a video posted yesterday, said that in the event of a PN collapse, the Malaysian votes will remain with the Umno-PAS pact, leaving Prime Minister Muhyiddin and his Bersatu faction with a “devastating loss”.
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