KUALA LUMPUR – Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has denied claiming to have garnered enough parliamentary support to once again form a federal government that he would lead.
The former prime minister said that only unofficial talks were held with opposition and non-Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians after the Johor polls to discuss strategies for the looming general election.
“BN’s victory in Melaka and Johor was simply because the votes for non-BN parties were split.
“The purpose of the electoral pact is to avoid multi-cornered clashes in the election, which will only benefit BN, as what had happened in the recent state elections,” he said in a statement today.
He added that the electoral pact must be based on a common agenda to ensure that the nation does not return under the control of the “kleptocratic group” that currently pulls the strings of the BN parties.
“I believe the majority of the people reject kleptocracy and an effort must be made to prevent BN from returning to full power in the country,” he said, adding that he had accepted the opinions of party leaders during their meeting.
He also said that Bersatu’s doors remain open to cooperation with other parties in the interest of winning the fight against BN.
Previously, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal claimed that Muhyiddin contacted him two months ago to obtain support for his quest to become prime minister again.
Shafie reportedly said that the latter had told him that he has the support of 119 out of 222 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat and the approval of PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Subsequently, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook had refuted claims of his party MPs throwing their support behind Muhyiddin’s bid to regain the post of prime minister. – The Vibes, June 5, 2022
