PETALING JAYA – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s appointment as the adviser of “SG4” will carve the pathway to making him Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) de facto leader, a former Sabah chief minister claimed.
“This is why PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was not invited to a recent meeting between PAS leaders and Dr Mahathir,” said Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak in a Facebook post.
SG4 stands for “State Government 4”, referring to PAS-controlled Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Salleh described Dr Mahathir’s appointment as a “brilliant move” to put him at the political forefront again despite the setback in Langkawi during the 15th general election.
In GE15, Dr Mahathir lost the Langkawi Parliament seat to PN’s Suhaimi Abdullah by a majority of 15,318.
“I believe Muhyiddin has limited options other than to play along with whatever decision the PAS-led PN makes on Dr Mahathir’s appointment,” said Salleh.
Yesterday, Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said the menteris besar of Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis were discussing an action plan for the SG4 group.
“Dr Mahathir’s role will also be to connect the four states with investors from countries like Japan and South Korea that have good ties with him,” Samsuri said.
On September 2, Dr Mahathir met Samsuri and the latter’s menteri besar counterparts, Datuk Nassuruddin Daud (Kelantan), Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor (Kedah), and Mohd Shukri Ramli (Perlis).
PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang was also present at the meeting. – The Vibes, September 15, 2023