KUALA LUMPUR – After former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s latest scathing attack on PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, its youth wing said it is high time Pakatan Harapan (PH) move on from the possibility of cooperating with the elder statesman.
PKR Youth chief Akmal Nasir said the coalition should realise by now that Dr Mahathir’s involvement, in the name of a “grand coalition”, is an outdated strategy meant to divide and conquer the opposition pact.
“It would make no sense if this repeated strategy is still able to dupe and divide PKR and PH,” he said in a statement today.
This follows Dr Mahathir’s statement yesterday that he can never trust Anwar again, and that the PKR president is known for making false claims throughout his political career.
This included Anwar’s infamous “strong, formidable and convincing majority” claim he made in September.
Dr Mahathir, who is Pejuang pro-tem chairman, also blamed Anwar for not wanting to work together after the collapse of the PH government, merely because he (Dr Mahathir) had requested to be a prime minister for a further six months.
PH component parties – DAP and Amanah – had on a number of occasions called for a grand coalition consisting of all opposition parties, including Pejuang and Sabah-based Warisan led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, to face the coming general election.
Akmal said Dr Mahathir’s latest statement against Anwar was not surprising, and reeked of political desperation.
“It is unfortunate (that) in a Pejuang event where he was supposed to explain the party’s direction, he used it as a platform to attack Anwar.
“His attitude shows (that) the existence of Pejuang is merely to dismiss Anwar’s credibility as an opposition leader and PH chairman.
“This is despite Anwar once again repeating his willingness to work together with any quarter, provided they can accept the conditions and principles of PH, and to leave behind the attitudes of old,” he said. – The Vibes, January 1, 2021
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