Anwar hints at post-GE15 talks with Borneo parties; dismisses Dr Mahathir as fickle
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Pakatan Harapan chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today indicated that the coalition would hold talks with Sabah and Sarawak political parties after the 15th general election.
Speaking at an anti-corruption dialogue, he also shrugged off former ally Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s latest salvo against him, saying that the latter changes his mind regularly.
PKR president Anwar said he and his deputy, Rafizi Ramli, have both cited studies showing PH could win up to 80 parliamentary seats, which would make it the single largest coalition in Parliament after the 15th general election, and was now working hard to bring the number up to 100.
“And after that can expand further, because if we get majority, it eases the formation of government and the implementation of our programme.
“Should we not negotiate with Sabah and Sarawak parties? Sabah and Sarawak parties, certainly, we want the government to represent all races and all territories, but wait for after general elections,” he told the audience here.
He acknowledged there were claims that he had discussed a post-election pact with Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, but dismissed this as fabrications by Dr Mahathir, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Anwar noted that Dr Mahathir has further claimed the pact would result in Anwar freeing Ahmad Zahid and Umno’s former president Datuk Seri Najib Razak from their criminal charges if they were to support his bid to be prime minister.
Anwar pointed out that Dr Mahathir previously said he had no problem with him, but has since changed to say Anwar was not qualified to be prime minister, despite previously signing a statutory declaration to support him for the role.
“Don’t be angry with him, don’t be angry, you don’t know his view this week, you know or not his view next week?” he said.
In the fully-packed auditorium held at the Nexus Connexion Conference and Event Centre here with about 200 or more in attendance, Anwar was responding to questions primarily from university students.
Among them was a question from an International Islamic University Malaysia student who asked if there were any preliminary talks by PH with parties in Sabah and Sarawak or if there are other alternatives, in light of Rafizi’s and Anwar’s analysis that PH had within 80 to 100 parliamentary seats within reach in GE15 and as Anwar had said there would be no talks with Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional.
A science and technology student from Universiti Malaya had meanwhile asked for a response to Dr Mahathir’s statement yesterday, which described Anwar as having no competence to be prime minister and claiming that choosing PH to be the government of Malaysia would bankrupt the nation.
The event “Ada apa dengan korupsi” was jointly organised by the IIUM student union and the UM student union.
