In yet another indication of Umno playing the ‘kingmaker’ in the power transition in Malaysia, a party MP and a deputy minister in former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s cabinet said there will be attempts to form a new government if Anwar Ibrahim fails to succeed Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir by May next year.
Ahmad Maslan, known as ‘Mr GST’ during his stint in the Cabinet, said this will happen if Dr Mahathir did not quit at the end of his two-year tenure. The two-year tenure ends in May next year.
He told journalists at the Parliament lobby today (Oct 17),”But if it is not clear that (sic) there will be a transition of power by May 2020, there is a possibility that something similar could arise again.”
“If Anwar is not given (the position), I see there would be efforts again (sic) to form a new coalition that would form the government,” he said.
Ahmad did not say which parties would be involved in this new coalition.
But Anwar Ibrahim told Parliament yesterday that he is waiting for Umno President Zahid Hamidi to ‘sign’ to give him support in his bid to become Prime Minister.
Anwar’s allusion to a ‘document’ of support for his PM bid from Umno members shows that the ex-PM Najib’s party is being wooed into the transition battle.
But Ahmad also said the Umno and PAS political bloc cannot accept DAP or Amanah which are the two parties in the Pakatan Harapan coalition in power. Both parties are said to be in support of Anwar as PM.
The Pakatan Harapan secretariat accused Hishammuddin Hussein, ex-minister of Defence of pushing for the formation of a new government without DAP and Amanah.
They told him to stop, but he denied any plots to form a new government without the two PH parties. -/TISG