The Malaysian Insight

TALK that Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its allies have secured support from 130 MPs to retake the federal government is fake news, DAPJohor chief Liew Chin Tong said.

“I know these are these rumours now, as if it has already happened. But there are still many variables, such as the role of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS),” he said during The Malaysian Insight’s Mandarin Insight Talk session.

Liew was commenting on speculation that PH, with Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Warisan, had obtained support from 129 or 130 MPs to reclaim Putrajaya from Perikatan Nasional (PN), some three months after the new government led by Muhyiddin Yassin ousted the coalition elected in 2018.

Liew, who is DAP political education director, said the PN government was established with the help of GPS, Sarawak’s ruling coalition which is independent of PH and Barisan Nasional.

“If we want a stable government, GPS has to facilitate this.

“There are still many variables, so the people should calm down first,” Liew said.

PKR’s strategy director and Bayan Baru MP, Sim Sze Tzin, agreed with Liew during the session, urging people not to over-react to the rumour.

Such rumours were put out to stir up reactions, Sim said.

“(To obtain the majority) is a very difficult process. Everyone has to compromise. There is no need to over-react.”

Talk of up to 130 MPs backing the PH coalition began circulating in political circles and on social media recently.

Opposition leader and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim also said recently that obtaining that number was a “work in progress”.

Unverified reports from Chinese-language media last night also said that Anwar and Dr Mahathir had met with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong yesterday to state that PH has enough support to form the government.

The reports, quoting unnamed sources, also said that under an agreement, Anwar will be prime minister and Warisan president Mohd Shafie Apdal the deputy prime minister. – June 5, 2020.