Dr Mahathir says Anwar would not be Malaysian PM with or without him
PUTRAJAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says his resignation as prime minister on Feb 24, had nothing to do with Pakatan Harapan wanting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to take over, but was because he had lost the trust of his party.
The former premier also said that after his resignation, he and Datuk Seri Anwar both could not garner enough of a majority to be the prime minister.
Dr Mahathir said, in a blog post on Saturday (Nov 21), that when Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) went against him on Feb 23 and left the Pakatan Harapan coalition, the government had fallen automatically.
“On Feb 23, I told Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that his idea of Bersatu leaving Pakatan must be postponed as Pakatan was still supporting me.
“When the Bersatu supreme council met after my meeting with Muhyiddin and his friends, I begged that they postpone leaving Pakatan. I suggested that we wait and see Pakatan’s reaction.
“The supreme council rejected my suggestion and agreed that Bersatu would leave Pakatan immediately.
“To me, this was the final decision. This meant the trust in me as the chairman was no more. This also meant that Bersatu had left Pakatan and the government had fallen.
“This loss of trust in me meant I could not remain as the chairman of Bersatu any longer. If I was no longer Bersatu chairman and Pakatan was not the government, I would also not be prime minister any more.
“That night, Muhyiddin joined PAS and Umno leaders at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya. His presence with the enemies of Pakatan showed that the formation of the Perikatan Nasional government was already a reality.
“Although there were rumours that I would be accepted by Muafakat Nasional parties (Umno and PAS) and Bersatu as the prime minister, I could not accept the Umno criminals as part of the government I would lead,” said Dr Mahathir.
He said when a poll was done, he only managed to garner the support of 66 MPs.
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