The Malaysian Insight

PAKATAN Harapan’s secret to success is its willingness to look past old problems, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad today, as he campaigned for Anwar Ibrahim in Port Dickson.

Saying that Port Dickson voters should elect Anwar as their MP on Saturday, the Bersatu chairman said he hoped to continue working with Anwar for the sake of the nation.

He added that he and Anwar, along with the others in PH, decided to put aside their differences and worked together in GE14 to save the country from the “thieving government”.

This was the first time Dr Mahathir, who is also the prime minister, shared the stage with Anwar in 20 years.

In his first tenure as the prime minister, Dr Mahathir sacked his then deputy Anwar and jailed him for corruption and sodomy.

Speaking to a crowd of about 5,000 who had braved the wet weather to see Dr Mahathir and Anwar together, the prime minister said PH won the general election as it put behind its past grouses, including his animosity with Anwar.

“Even though they (Barisan Nasional) were strong, PH united all the (then opposition) parties to work together. We were prepared to look past old problems,” Dr Mahathir said.

He added that he had patched things up with Anwar, whom he had brought into Umno and made a minister.

“Yes, it is true that my relationship with Anwar was not that good. But do not forget, I was the one who brought him into Umno. He became a minister also because of me.”

He added that Anwar was willing enough to forget all that has happened to work with him and ensure a victory for PH.

“If Anwar thought about what had happened to him, we could not have patched things up. Mat Sabu also entered (jail), so did Guan Eng.

“How to work together with these people? But they were willing enough to forget the past and look at new challenges,” Dr Mahathir said referring to his current cabinet members, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Defence Minister Mohammad Sabu.

The Port Dickson by-election on Saturday is to allow Anwar, who has also won the PKR presidency uncontested, to make a comeback to Parliament.

Under a PH agreement, Anwar is to replace Dr Mahathir as the next prime minister. – October 8, 2018.