KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — Discontent over Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's appointment as Pakatan Harapan chairman is causing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's loyalists to consider breaking off from the pact, according to a report today.

The Star newspaper reported that pockets of Anwar supporters continue to reject Dr Mahathir over his past transgressions and were angered by his selection to lead the federal Opposition pact.

Despite the purported "reconciliation” between Dr Mahathir and Anwar whom he sacked as his deputy in 1998, the newspaper said that hardcore supporters of the latter felt betrayed by the former prime minister' rise to power in Pakatan Harapan.

Among these are members of the Otai Reformis group that continue to hold on to the "anger” of Anwar's sacking in 1998, as many of them were detained by authorities in the security crackdown that ensued.

The newspaper said that some are threatening outright to resign from the pact, and considering running against Pakatan Harapan under Parti Sosialis Malaysia's banner.

"I am facing a spectrum of emotions in our group. My role is to breach the gap and to convince them that the aim is to win the general election,” Hulu Kelang representative Saari Sungib was quoted as saying by The Star.

Saari, who was twice held under the Internal Security Act under Dr Mahathir, is reportedly attempting to organise talks with the malcontents on Sunday to try and overcome their animosity towards Dr Mahathir, whom they still blame for the country's current state.

Dr Mahathir was made chairman of Pakatan Harapan last week, and while it had not been immediately clear if he was the most senior leader in the hierarchy, the former prime minister yesterday resolved this by unilaterally declaring himself its "top dog”.

Dr Mahathir has also positioned himself as the most likely candidate to be Pakatan Harapan's prime minister if it wins federal power, while promising to facilitate Anwar's release and possibly elevation to the position later.

Reactions to Dr Mahathir's newly-minted image as the de facto leader of the federal Opposition continue to be mixed, as memory of his 22 years in power is still fresh in the minds of the public.