PETALING JAYA,Oct 16: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says there is no guarantee for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to have the majority support to form a new government, even with the support of Umno MPs.
In an interview with Utusan Malaysia, the Langkawi MP said this was because other MPs might withdraw their support after Umno confirms they are in the picture.
“When there is an alliance between Anwar and Umno, there are people who will pull out, so they will not achieve the majority,” he said.
He also said that other political parties should leave the current Perikatan Nasional (PN) government alone and allow it to focus on managing the country’s Covid-19 crisis affecting the people.
“If the existing government seems capable, then we should not disturb it.”
The Pejuang chairman said if Umno decided to stop supporting PN, it would risk falling out of power.
He said it would also lead to the collapse of the PN coalition altogether.
“Umno might think it can form a new government together with Anwar if it decides to leave PN. But not only will PN fall, Umno will also fall.”
Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan had previously announced the party was considering retracting its support for PN and would propose new terms to the government to ensure the continuation of the political cooperation.
Anwar had an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Tuesday over his claim of having enough support from MPs to form a new government.
The opposition leader said the King would subsequently meet the heads of all parties for their views. The palace later said Anwar did not submit a list of MPs backing him.
The royal audience for Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has been postponed. Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is also said to be waiting for an audience with the King.
