PUTRAJAYA: “I feel like floating (when/if) anybody supports me.”
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said this in jest when he was asked to comment on reports by a Singapore daily that Umno may throw the party’s support for him to serve a full-term as the prime minister.
“Yes, (I heard that) they (Umno) are saying that. Even Pas is willing to work with me. I told them, if they are willing to work with me, (then provide their) support,” Dr Mahathir, who is also the Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, told reporters here today.
The report was published by The Straits Times on Tuesday, which cited unnamed party sources close to Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
According to the report, Zahid, who was previously allied with PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, had changed his mind and wanted Umno to back Dr Mahathir instead.
“The move is to block Anwar and DAP. But we won’t (form a new ruling coalition), as the Umno and Pas ground won’t accept Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and Parti Amanah Negara,” a top Umno official said to be close to Zahid was quoted saying in the report.
Based on the PH-planned power transition, Anwar was supposed to succeed Dr Mahathir as the new prime minister.
Asked on which capacity and how Umno and Pas could throw their support for him, Dr Mahathir said leaders from parties can do so in Parliament.
“When we do something (that is good in Parliament), I think, they should support it and not oppose blindly,” he said.
Dr Mahathir had on numerous occasions promised to honour the power transition plan and step down for Anwar to become the next prime minister.
The actual timeline for the power transition has not been announced and it would only be decided by the PH presidential council.
