‘a tiff that may prove to be costly’:

Prospects of an implosion within Pakatan look imminent if dr M and anwar fail to find common ground.

THE standoff between Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over who should be the ninth prime minister seems to have reached a point of no return following ultimatums issued by the two political titans.

Threats to quit Pakatan Harapan were not only issued by Anwar loyalists, but were even affirmed by Dr Mahathir who was quoted as saying by Sin Chew Daily in a video interview that he would not contact PKR or Anwar anymore for talks on future cooperation.

Dr Mahathir’s declaration not only stunned his detractors but also silenced party mediators who are now caught in a dilemma, as prospects of an implosion within Pakatan look imminent.

It was also a classic Dr Mahathir move of giving Anwar the snub, as the latter’s offer to consider a senior minister or minister mentor role for the 95-year-old was obviously an insult to the former prime minister of 22 years under Barisan Nasional and 22 months under Pakatan.

As much as Perikatan Nasional would like to see Pakatan self-implode, analysts opined that the two factions would eventually come to their senses and find common ground once emotions simmered down.

However, it raised a question among Malaysians whether the eventual compromise between the old rivals would be sincere and, for some critics, whether it would even materialise.

The power transition issue had been the bone of contention in Pakatan since it came to power in 2018, and at this point, not only is it unappetising to Malaysians, it also could be the final straw of disillusionment among its existing MPs.

A quick look at the list of Pakatan’s 108 MPs shows that there are still PKR MPs aligned with Datuk Seri Azmin Ali who has yet to make a move.

They say a frightened captain makes a frightened crew and the same can be said in PKR, where speculation is rife that certain MPs are considering defection pending the outcome of the Anwar-Dr Mahathir tiff.

“Kesian ... bagaikan melukut di tepi gantang,” tweeted Azmin recently in yet another cryptic tone, which also referenced the popular Malay pop song by Aishah.

It is a famous Malay idiom used to describe a person who feels unimportant to others because he does not possess any title or influence anymore.

Azmin, who is known for veiled messages, was obviously taking a dig at his arch-nemesis Anwar, who is facing an uphill challenge of convincing Perikatan MPs to cross over given his diminishing prospects of becoming the ninth prime minister.

It is an open secret that Azmin has been working behind the scenes to entice MPs to defect to Perikatan ahead of the coming parliamentary meeting in July.

A veteran journalist said promises of Cabinet posts had been the “game of persuasion” of both sides.

“If an MP is promised a post by Pakatan and he does not get it because there is no hope of Pakatan becoming the government, it will be hard for Pakatan to retain the MP.

“Azmin has been instrumental in getting Pakatan MPs to jump and he certainly has the authority to reward the MPs,” he said.

There were also murmurs of disillusionment within the party in recent weeks.

A source familiar with PKR said its leaders were unhappy with the line-up of Anwar’s team, saying “it is filled with young and immature leaders who make statements based on emotions”.

“While having young people is good, it doesn’t mean it’s great for politics because political calculations require experience. Anwar should realise this because he is not a newbie in politics.”

The source claimed that PKR MPs purportedly issued an ultimatum to Anwar last month, saying that if the Port Dickson MP gave in to Dr Mahathir’s request to return as premier, they would cease support for Anwar.

“They told him enough is enough. No more to Dr Mahathir,” said the source who feared Anwar would once again be denied the premiership.

Another source also claimed that a meeting had taken place between Anwar and Dr Mahathir in the first week of June, where the PKR president purportedly said he could not control his supporters bickering over the power transition issue.

“I have no problem waiting until GE15 (to be PM) but it’s my supporters who don’t want you (Dr Mahathir),” the source quoted Anwar as allegedly saying.

The source said this was countered by the remarks of an ally of Dr Mahathir at the meeting, which was said to have silenced Anwar.

“You say that, but you know you can’t bring the numbers on your own without Dr Mahathir, which means you won’t get the opportunity to be PM even for a short while” were the words claimed to have been directed at Anwar.

To perform a successful counter-coup against Perikatan, Anwar, as the hopeful prime minister, requires strong parliamentary support, as analysts have said that a thin majority would only lead to a snap election.

Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is being courted by both sides of the political divide as its 18 MPs is the magic number required by Pakatan and Perikatan to form a government with a strong majority.

Sources familiar with purported discussions taking place between Pakatan and GPS have said that ongoing negotiations were put on hold, pending its choice for the premiership.

“Pakatan has to sort this out first, then we will decide,” said a source.

However, as much as Pakatan would hope for GPS’ 18 MPs, the deal-breaker in any ongoing negotiations will probably be DAP.

Aside from the regular verbal sparring in Parliament between its MPs, Sarawak’s Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Masing once declared that GPS would not enter any coalition if DAP was in the equation.

He cited DAP’s “administrative arrogance” as a reason, claiming that the party did whatever it pleased without listening to others.

He was particularly riled up over a remark by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who as the finance minister last year claimed that Sarawak would go bankrupt within three years.

Sources previously claimed that during the “Sheraton Move” in February, DAP even offered to abstain contesting in GPS’ seats in the next Sarawak state polls, but that was snubbed by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.

DAP was cited as a reason behind Abang Johari’s decision to decline support for Pakatan, said the source.

While the known bad blood between GPS and DAP was deemed as the deal-breaker, it has been said that nothing is impossible in Malaysian politics.

Recently, DAP and Amanah said Anwar failed to secure GPS’ support, but would Dr Mahathir be able to convince GPS to be magnanimous enough to put aside the bad blood?

Murmurs of Pakatan defections in Sabah were strengthened by the recent acquittal of Tan Sri Musa Aman from a string of graft charges while Parti Warisan Sabah vice-president Datuk Peter Anthony, a close ally of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, was charged with money laundering the same day.

The talk in town is that Sabah could fall as early as this week as Musa and his brother Datuk Seri Anifah Aman are said to be instrumental in the behind-the-scene moves to convince local leaders to ditch Pakatan.

This was even acknowledged by Mohd Shafie himself when he issued a strongly worded statement to warn the Perikatan government about convincing state leaders to defect.