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KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Friday (October 16) that he doubted opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim would have the numbers in parliament to take over as prime minister and even if he did. , the country would remain in a political stalemate.
Anwar met with the king on Tuesday in an attempt to show that he has a parliamentary majority to form a government and replace Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
Mahathir, who was the mentor to Anwar and many of the country’s top leaders, said that even with new leadership, Malaysia would remain susceptible to shifting political alliances, particularly from the former ruling United Malays National Organization party. (UM NO).
“So the situation is very uncertain … either way, there will be a situation where there will be no government in the country,” Mahathir told Reuters in an interview at his office in Kuala Lumpur.
Mahathir, backed by Anwar, led the opposition to a historic victory in the 2018 elections, ending six decades of UMNO rule with a campaign against corruption.
READ: Explainer – The fight for the post of Prime Minister of Malaysia
But his administration collapsed after an internal fight earlier this year, paving the way for Muhyiddin to take office in March with the backing of UMNO.
Muhyiddin’s seven-month government has survived with a two-seat majority in the 222-seat parliament.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad leaves after an interview with Reuters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 16, 2020. REUTERS / Lim Huey Teng
Mahathir said that he did not support Anwar or Muhyiddin.
The 94-year-old political veteran and five other federal lawmakers from his new Pejuang party filed no-confidence motions on Muhyiddin’s leadership on Friday.
Mahathir, whose decision to fire Anwar as his deputy during his first term as prime minister sparked a 20-year feud between them, dismissed his former protégé’s latest claim of a parliamentary majority.
READ: The leader of the opposition of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, summoned by the police for the list of sponsors of the candidacy of the prime minister
“This is the kind of thing Anwar likes to say … He has already claimed three times to have support that he would be the right prime minister, only to find that he has no support,” Mahathir said.
Anwar’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If Anwar succeeds in getting the job, it would be the culmination of a 22-year search, which included nearly 10 years in jail on sodomy charges that he denied. It would also mean that Malaysia would have its third prime minister this year.
