Rafizi: Minimal collaboration with Dr M, Muhyiddin if both not keen on reforms
(Malay Mail Online) – Pakatan Harapan may limit cooperation with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to scandals surrounding Putrajaya if both were not interested in wider reforms, said PKR’s Rafizi Ramli said today.
The federal opposition pact has reached out to both former leaders to “save Malaysia” after their falling out with Umno and invited them to a conference for the nebulous purpose on March 7.
But despite the overt approach from the pact, response from both men have either been muted or non-existent.
“Whether the cooperation will be tighter and formal or otherwise depends on their readiness to discuss those kind of reforms that will prevent same things to happen in the future,” the party secretary-general told the Sinar Harian Malay daily.
“I expect at least the Pakatan Harapan leaders can agree with Mahathir and Muhyiddin on issues such 1MDB and allegations against Najib regarding the RM2.6 billion,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Last Friday, the Umno supreme council suspended Muhyiddin from his post as deputy president over his open criticism of the party president.
On Monday, Dr Mahathir announced his decision to leave Umno, claiming the party he once led now only functions to protect its president Najib.
Speculation that Dr Mahathir would enlist with the opposition began following the announcement of his resignation, but the former prime minister yesterday rejected this possibility by saying the only party he would join is Umno.
Pakatan Harapan went on to solicit the participation of both men as well as others with shared agenda to meet in the Parliament building next week for a conference to “save Malaysia”.
Aside from the Pakatan Harapan conference, former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is also arranging a gathering of “like-minded” individuals later this month in response to Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Apandi Ali’s decision to close the cases on the movement of RM42 million from SRC International and the RM2.6 billion deposited in Najib’s accounts in 2013.
