Mahathir, Anwar Say ‘It’s Time’ to Restore 2018 Election Mandate
Mahathir, Anwar Say ‘It’s Time’ to Restore 2018 Election Mandate
(Bloomberg) -- Malaysia’s on-again-off-again political partners Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim said “it’s time” to restore an election mandate that they won two years ago, issuing a statement together for the first time since internal bickering in February led to the collapse of their ruling coalition.
The two leaders -- now in the opposition -- said the current government led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin wasn’t the choice of voters at ballot boxes and doesn’t have a mandate to rule. The statement on Saturday was issued on the second anniversary of 2018’s historic elections, when their Pakatan Harapan coalition ousted an alliance that had ruled for six decades.
The Pakatan Harapan government imploded in February, less than halfway through its term, after a power struggle boiled over and Mahathir stepped down as prime minister. For days, political parties and lawmakers switched allegiances between camps that supported either the 94-year-old Mahathir or Anwar, 72.
In the end, Muhyiddin, who was in Mahathir’s camp, became a contender when parties from the previous government agreed to back him. Mahathir had rejected some opposition backing as he said it would mean working with “corrupt” individuals. The king confirmed Muhyiddin as the country’s leader after determining he had the majority backing among members of parliament.
“We do not recognize the current government,” Mahathir and Anwar said. “We are not willing to risk our morals and ethics in support of this government.”
Saturday’s statement came a day after the speaker of parliament accepted Mahathir’s request to start a motion of no confidence against Muhyiddin at a future session. Parliament is set to convene for a one-day sitting on May 18.
“We’re old, our time is short,” the two leaders said. “But the spirit of our struggle is still deep in the soul of every young person who dreams of reform. It’s time for us to rise again and seek to restore the mandate of the people to the rightful party.”
The relationship between Anwar and Mahathir has been marked by decades of bitterness and public attacks, stemming from Mahathir’s decision during a prior stint in power to sack Anwar as his deputy amid a dispute on how best to respond to the Asian financial crisis two decades ago.
Anwar waited in the wings for nearly two years for Mahathir to fulfill a campaign pledge to eventually hand over the premiership to him. Mahathir refused to commit to a timeline for the transition.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
