Zahid to back Dr M as full-term PM in bid to block Anwar’s rise to power?

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — The Opposition Umno may throw its backing behind Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to serve out a full-term in an attempt to prevent Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s succession to the seat of power, a Singapore daily reported tonight.

Citing unnamed party sources and a recording of Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, The Straits Times said the Malay party’s top echelon are pushing to lobby the 94-year-old to stay on for the remainder of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government mandate instead of handing over the reins to PKR president Anwar as previously agreed.

“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 Ahmad Zahid was quoted saying.

The Singapore paper said it heard a recording of Ahmad Zahid addressing a closed-door Muafakat Nasional committee — the Umno-PAS partnership forged in the aftemath of their 2018 electoral defeat — on the matter yesterday, which Umno information chief Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah implied was authentic.

“What the president wanted to do was... solicit views from different quarters... Why is this being regarded as something wrong and an act of betrayal by the president?” Shamsul was quoted saying in response to Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Lokman Adam who publicly revealed the closed-door discussions today in refreshing his call for Ahmad Zahid to resign.

According to ST, Ahmad Zahid told Umno’s Muafakat Nasional committee to align with PAS as “it is on the table of (Dr Mahathir) to outlaw Umno”.

Lokman was reportedly incensed by the Umno president’s support call for Dr Mahathir who left the party to form his own, causing a subsequent mass exodus to Bersatu.

“If this is all Zahid can do, he should resign as Umno president.

“Members have the right to pick a team that will oppose Mahathir,” Lokman was reported saying.

ST claimed other Umno supreme council members were unlike Lokman and open to backing Dr Mahathir should Ahmad Zahid formally propose it at their next meeting set for this Friday.

The newspaper also cited a Facebook poll by Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Dusuki, which saw a significant 45 per cent of nearly 100,000 in favour of “Muafakat Nasional should be with Mahathir to reject Anwar and DAP” to date.

The other Muafakat Nasional partner, PAS, has been openly backing Dr Mahathir’s continuation as prime minister until the next general election due in 2023 since last year.

However, the ruling PH has been riven in two, with clamour growing from Anwar’s allies against Dr Mahathir’s supporters demanding the Bersatu chairman step down before Malaysia hosts the next Apec summit in November.