PH gave green light to form a majority with anyone, Anwar says

PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim today said he had been given the mandate by Pakatan Harapan (PH) component parties to cooperate with anyone in order to obtain a majority and to form a new government in Putrajaya.

“Remember, anyone at all to get a majority. I agreed to the conditions they gave.

“We cannot go against the principle of good governance to reject corruption and abuse, and to make Malaysia a country for all races,” he said at a programme in Kuala Lumpur attended by, among others, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil.

His remarks appear at odds with an earlier statement by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng who said he would not work with Umno leaders linked with corruption such as Najib Razak and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

In October, MalaysiaNow revealed that Najib and Zahid had written to the palace expressing their support for Anwar to overthrow the Perikatan Nasional government led by Muhyiddin Yassin.

On Dec 17, Lim and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu issued a joint statement warning the PH coalition against placing its trust in MPs from the ruling bloc to gain power.

They instead urged PH to build its strength with opposition parties outside the coalition, believed to be a reference to MPs from blocs led by leaders who are seen as anti-Anwar, namely Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Warisan president Shafie Apdal.

Anwar’s leadership came under question following his failure to present proof of his claim to majority support in an audience with the Agong on Oct 13.

In his speech today, he spoke of the by-election defeats PH had suffered in its 22 months in power, including the worst in Malaysia’s political history – a reference to the Tanjung Piai by-election in which the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate won by a landslide.

“Some are not happy when I bring this up because the PH government can justify anything.

“Of course I will justify those who win, but I will not justify corruption continuing among us,” he said.

Of the 10 by-elections that took place after the 2018 general election, PH won five: Sungai Kandis, Seri Setia, Balakong, Port Dickson and Sandakan.

BN, meanwhile, won the by-elections in Cameron Highlands, Kimanis, Tanjung Piai, Rantau and Slim.