The Malaysian Insight

AT the height of Malaysia’s political crisis in late February, Umno had wanted Dr Mahathir Mohamad to ditch his allies in Pakatan Harapan and form a new government.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Umno had backed a proposal for Dr Mahathir to remain prime minister of a government that did not include DAP, Amanah and MPs loyal to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.

This was conveyed to Dr Mahathir in a meeting on February 23 before the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government that has been dubbed the ‘Sheraton move’.

“A picture that has been circulating on social media (shows) the meeting of the presidents of political parties to propose that Tun M create a unity government without DAP, PKR (Anwar’s faction) and Amanah,” Zahid said in a statement today posted on Facebook.

“That was the meeting point to start discussions. However support was withdrawn when Tun M later proposed a unity government consisting of all parties, which violated the previous agreement.”

Zahid said he, like the other party presidents, had brought statutory declarations and not court documents relating to his cases in court.

Zahid said he had attended on the mandate of Umno.

The meeting was attended by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, Parti Warisan Sabah president Mohd Shafie Apdal and the head of Gabungan Parti Sarawak Abang Johari Openg.

Also present was ex-PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, who brought nine other MPs out from his party to support the plan to bring down the 21-month old PH government.

The next day, Azmin and Muhyiddin had taken their factions out of PH and joined forces with Umno, PAS and a clutch of Sarawakian and Sabahan parties to form Perikatan.

After Dr Mahathir rejected Perikatan’s offer to lead them, Perikatan chose Muhyiddin as prime minister.

Today, Dr Mahathir and four other MPs from Bersatu are aligned to PH parties and Warisan, who are now the parliamentary opposition. – May 31, 2020.