Long-time alternating foes and allies Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim, dominant figures in Malaysian politics, staked separate claims to helm the country yesterday, with neither appearing to have sufficient support to clinch his case.

In his first public comments since the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government collapsed on Monday, interim Prime Minister Mahathir said he was seeking to form a unity government from across the political divide.

Apologising for the current political turmoil, Tun Dr Mahathir, in a televised address, said: “My view, whether right or wrong, is that politics and party politics must be set aside for now. If permitted, I will try to have an administration that does not lean towards any party. Only the national interest will be prioritised.”

Shortly after his address at 4.45pm, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Anwar told a media conference he has the backing of 92 MPs from three PH parties – PKR, Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Amanah Negara – to be the next prime minister.

However, that is still short of a simple majority of 112 needed to form a government.

“The Pakatan Harapan presidential council had invited Dr Mahathir to chair its meeting on Tuesday to restore the PH government, but he did not agree to attend the meeting,” said Datuk Seri Anwar.

“As such, the council decided to nominate Anwar Ibrahim as PH’s prime minister candidate.”

PH parties had earlier pledged their support for Dr Mahathir to remain as premier, but they U-turned after the leader wanted to form a non-partisan unity government that will include lawmakers from PH as well as rivals Umno and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).

Some baulked at this, as DAP assistant national publicity secretary Yeo Bee Yin said in a Facebook post: “Effectively, it is a Mahathir government and not a PH government. The promises of the PH manifesto will not be fulfilled.”

The power struggle between Dr Mahathir, 94, and Mr Anwar, 72, has shaped politics in the country for more than two decades.

Dr Mahathir resigned on Monday following the collapse of the PH government, after members of his own Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) and some PKR rebels allied themselves with the opposition.

However, he was reappointed interim Prime Minister by Malaysia’s King, until the political impasse can be resolved.

The King has been meeting all 222 MPs since Tuesday to determine who has the most support. The one-on-one interviews were scheduled to conclude yesterday.

If neither Dr Mahathir nor Mr Anwar can command a clear majority, the King could dissolve Parliament, on the advice of the Prime Minister. This would automatically trigger a general election.

Alternatively, the King can wait for the MPs to further realign themselves.

The unprecedented move for the King to interview MPs individually instead of meeting party leaders appears to be in line with Dr Mahathir’s plan to form the grand coalition of individuals across the political spectrum.

But already, the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) pact and PAS have said they would not enter a government if it included DAP, a Chinese-dominated outfit they accuse of undermining MalayMuslim interests, and would prefer the verdict of the ballot box instead.

BN, PAS, PPBM and an independent bloc led by former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali control 97 seats among them.

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