Anwar dismisses 'Pakatan Nasional' claims as rumours, lies

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has dismissed as lies the rumours of purported defections by lawmakers from Pakatan Harapan to form a new coalition government comprising largely of Bersatu, Umno and PAS.

Speaking to reporters after a function with his supporters in Negeri Sembilan, Anwar further described the rumoured numbers as being "exaggerated" and based on individual calculations by "several figures from the opposition".

"They said six from Amanah (will defect), we checked, it's not true. So there is an element of deceit.

"(They said a further) 15 from PKR, we checked, it's not true [...] the figure was exaggerated," said the Port Dickson MP.

He further noted attempts to link the rumours to Bersatu and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, once again dismissing such claims as untrue.

"Not true. No such matter was ever raised (by Mahathir)," Anwar said on the recent speculation that Bersatu would team up with Umno and PAS to form a "Pakatan Nasional unity government".

Had the matter been raised, Anwar said, Harapan presidential council members would be open to expressing their objections, contrary to claims of being purportedly silenced by Mahathir.

"Various (related) issues including on the transition of power were discussed in the past. So (it is) not true that Harapan leaders are being cowed," he stressed.

Speculation over the rumoured defections and tie-up were fueled last week after former Umno man Lokman Noor Adam targeted Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for allegedly wanting to work with Mahathir.

Lokman, who has since been reportedly sacked from Umno, also leaked an audio recording allegedly of Zahid expressing intentions to save Umno as he did not want the opposition party to be "left behind".

Zahid, however, told Malaysiakini yesterday that talk about Umno working together with Bersatu was only a rumour which was not even discussed during the Umno supreme council meeting yesterday.

Quizzed for comments, Anwar merely said it was good, if true, that Zahid had dismissed the rumours.

"In (the run-up to) the 2018 general election, Harapan had featured Mahathir as their prime ministerial candidate and the next prime minister would be Anwar.

"The people's mandate was based on that so they (BN) can't say we hijacked (it)," said Anwar, alluding to calls for a handover of power to him by May this year.

"They (the opposition) lost (GE14) badly but are now trying to negotiate this and that [...] then it became these rumours," he added.

Zahid was accused of pushing Umno and PAS leaders to work with Mahathir, purportedly during a Muafakat Nasional meeting.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang added to the hype when he told reporters that the party was open to forming a "unity government".