SHAH ALAM, Nov 24 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) top leaders have discussed a claim by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to being offered a deal to form a “back door” government, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim disclosed today.
However, the PKR president said the ruling coalition was not able to verify the authenticity of the Opposition politician’s claim to date.
“We discussed this yesterday, but we do not know. I have not heard about Hadi except for today so we did not raise it today,” Anwar told reporters here, referring to the PH presidential council.
The Port Dickson MP and backbencher reaffirmed PKR’s commitment to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s leadership, adding that PH does not entertain back door deals.
Hadi told a gathering of PAS and Umno supporters at the launch of their Selangor Muafakat Nasional here last night that his party received an offer to form a new government through the “back door”, but rejected it.
He did not disclose the identities of those purportedly behind the offer, saying the PAS-Umno alliance will take federal power only through legitimate means.
Rumours of an ouster plot against Dr Mahathir resurfaced after PH’s defeat in the November 16 Tanjung Piai by-election.
Clamours blaming Dr Mahathir for the parliamentary seat loss and demands for the PM to take responsibility by handing over the reins to Anwar as promised have been gaining momentum.
At the same time, rumours of a countermove by getting more Umno MPs to cross over to PH have also come up, fuelled by a late night meeting last week at the Putrajaya house of Anwar’s party deputy and Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.
Both Umno MPs who attended the meeting and Azmin have denied such moves.
