KUALA LUMPUR – Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is confident of Pakatan Harapan’s chances of winning the next general election, even without the support of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He said this in response to Dr Mahathir’s recent remark that the coalition has a slim chance of shoring up enough support to form a government without him and members of his Pejuang party.
“It’s okay, he (Dr Mahathir) is explaining his greatness, but (DAP veteran) Lim Kit Siang has answered this matter clearly,” Anwar told a press conference here today.
He said in 2013, when Dr Mahathir and Pejuang members were part of Barisan Nasional, the opposition still got 52% of the popular vote, with PKR securing 39 parliamentary seats and DAP, 38.
On calls within PKR to move on from working with the former prime minister, Anwar said he understands the sentiments, as “perhaps, they have felt the pain (of working with Dr Mahathir)”.
“But I don’t represent all of these views, because we are still tied to the spirit of PH to welcome anyone (to cooperate), but it must abide by policies in principle.
“This means we reject corruption, cronyism and arrogance.”
Earlier in the presser, the PKR president was asked about Dr Mahathir’s refusal to cooperate with PH.
“It does not matter. Our responsibility now is to consolidate the opposition and invite some friends, who are currently with the Perikatan Nasional government, based on these principles.
“On the question of whether they (Dr Mahathir and Pejuang) agree (with us), we cannot force them, but we are taking an open approach. We want to strengthen the current opposition and future government, to make it solid.”
Asked to clarify the working relationship between PH and Pejuang, Anwar said most statements indicated that friction came from Pejuang’s side.
“It’s alright, we’ve known Dr Mahathir for a long time, let it be.
“What’s important for PKR and PH is to be open to whoever or any party that accepts our policies, good governance, and rejects corruption, cronyism and abuse of power to enrich oneself – if there is an agreement on these, then we will cooperate.”
Dr Mahathir has alleged that it is Anwar who does not want to work with Pejuang, but today, the latter said he is not interested in quarrelling with the nonagenarian.
“We have to wait because his statements could change from one week to the next.”
On whether the opposition is focusing on winning the 15th general election or overthrowing the PN administration before the polls, Anwar said it is doing both.
“It is a two-pronged attack (on the government).” – The Vibes, January 3, 2021
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