KUALA LUMPUR – It was former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who wanted to meet his successor Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, revealed Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayshal Wan Ahmad Kamal.
He said it wasn’t his boss who asked to meet, but Dr Mahathir.
“It was not Tan Sri who wanted to meet Tun. But, it was Tun who sent his emissary, Khairuddin Salleh, to meet Muhyiddin,” he told The Star last night.
He added that Muhyiddin met with several opposition leaders after the Johor election, but he was not privy to what happened during the meeting with the Pejuang chairman.
“I don’t know why Dr Mahathir made the statement. Maybe he was still bitter about what happened to him in Bersatu before.”
The issue surfaced after the meeting came to light, with the Pejuang president saying it was to discuss cooperating for the impending 15th general election.
Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir said the meeting took place some two weeks ago, but his party has yet to respond with its decision over the proposal.
However, Dr Mahathir yesterday said Muhyiddin had sought Pejuang’s support in his bid to become prime minister again.
He added that it remained unlikely for him to realign with Muhyiddin and Bersatu, a party they formed together in 2017.
“When he was PM, a lot of people were unsatisfied with his leadership. He was not a good PM, and that is why nobody wants him as PM again; if he achieved great things for Malaysia, I am confident he doesn’t need my support to win.
“We are not thinking about that, we are not going to support somebody as a prime minister who was as much of a failure as (Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak) was,” the nonagenarian said during a press conference at Yayasan Albukhary.
Dr Mahathir also described Muhyiddin as a backstabber, saying: “I am no longer the prime minister because of Muhyiddin; he backstabbed me, and that is why I am not prime minister anymore.”
“But now he is asking for help from the people he has backstabbed, and since we are not dead, he has come again to ask for help.”
He added that Pejuang has yet to decide on whether to work with Muhyiddin, and any cooperation with any party or coalition for a general election will have to stem from their mutual agreement to combat corruption. – The Vibes, April 2, 2022
