Mine is a Malay-Muslim government, Anwar tells PKR reps

PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim today told MPs and assemblymen from the party that his plan to topple the government through defections in the Dewan Rakyat is on track, ahead of a royal audience he secured to meet the Agong next week.

Several party leaders who attended the meeting told MalaysiaNow Anwar had categorically stated that he was envisaging a “Malay-Muslim government”.

“He said this would allay the long-held fears that Anwar depends much on support from DAP,” the MP said on condition of anonimity.

MalaysiaNow reported earlier that DAP, the predominantly Chinese component of Pakatan Harapan which has 42 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, had chosen to stay out of Anwar’s plan.

It is understood that DAP leaders had “made it very clear” to Anwar that the party would not join any bloc made up of Umno MPs, “in particular those smeared by corruption”.

Among those seen as backing Anwar is a group of MPs led by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is facing 47 charges of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering.

Several Umno MPs have however strongly denied that they would back Anwar, after speculation that their names were on a list of MPs supporting the plan to topple Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Jerantut MP Ahmad Nazlan Idris, Padang Terap MP Mahdzir Khalid and Jempol MP Salim Shariff all denied backing Anwar.

The same source told MalaysiaNow that at today’s meeting, Anwar claimed that Zahid, his staunch loyalist when the duo were in Umno in the 1990s, was not on the “list to be given to the Agong”.

“He even denied that DAP would not support his plan for a parliamentary coup,” the source said, adding that the PKR chief had “exuded confidence throughout the online meeting”.

“According to Anwar, DAP will back Anwar’s Malay government but will not be part of the Cabinet.”

“According to Anwar, DAP will back Anwar’s Malay government but will not be part of the Cabinet.”

But a statement released by PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail made no mention of the composition of Anwar’s bloc.

“Anwar expressed the need to form a strong and stable government in order to focus its efforts on the rakyat’s agenda,” the statement said.

Yesterday, Anwar said Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had consented to a royal audience on Oct 13, at which he would furnish details of his claim to having a “formidable and convincing” majority support from MPs to form the government.

Three weeks earlier, Anwar declared that Muhyiddin’s government had fallen, and that he was on the verge of forming a strong new administration.