KUALA LUMPUR - Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has rubbished speculations that he is throwing his support behind a candidate for the top job.
The Langkawi MP said that he has never backed any of the current lawmakers in their quest to be the prime minister.
“I am with my new party Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang), and this party is independent.
“It has nothing to do with any parties or individuals with ambitions for certain positions.
“I hope there will be no more attempts purportedly claiming I am supporting so and so. There is no such support,” he said in a minute-long video that was uploaded on his Facebook and YouTube account today.
Although Dr Mahathir did not mention any names, PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at the Istana Negara this morning to convince the latter that he has enough support to be the next prime minister.
In a press conference later, Anwar said he has the backing of 120 MPs and that the list of names have been submitted to the palace, and that the Agong would be meeting with head of all political parties in the coming days.
However, in a statement, the Istana Negara denied Anwar’s claim, saying that the opposition leader had merely given the number of MPs who supposedly back him, but not the names.
Apart from Anwar, Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah also had an audience with the Agong today, arriving at the palace in the afternoon.
While it is uncertain what the audience was about, an aide to Tengku Razaleigh had told The Vibes that the meeting was to discuss matters related to the political development in the country.
Some have speculated that Tengku Razaleigh, or popularly known as Ku Li, had likely himself obtained the majority support of the Dewan Rakyat to form a new government, including from Pejuang. – The Vibes, October 13, 2020