Dr M says again why he opposed PPBM exit from PH

DAP could not have controlled PH as he would not have allowed it.

(FMT) – Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said he had no reason to reject Pakatan Harapan (PH) despite talk that DAP was controlling the then-ruling coalition.

In a video uploaded to social media, Mahathir who was PPBM chairman said DAP could not have controlled PH as he would not have allowed it.

“I would never agree to any proposal that did not take into account the interests of all, especially the Malays,” he said, commenting on a photograph of him meeting with top political leaders after a PPBM Supreme Council meeting.

Those seen in the photo are PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, GPS chairman Abang Johari Openg, Warisan president Shafie Apdal, PKR’s deputy president at the time Mohamed Azmin Ali, and GPS chief whip Fadillah Yusof.

At that meeting, he said, they had discussed a proposal for PPBM to leave PH. However he said he had advised that more thought be given to the suggestion.

“In the end, they agreed to give me time to agree with their proposal. Muhyiddin gave me a week to make a decision.

“But they had already planned to go ahead (for PPBM) to quit PH,” he said.

“After the meeting at my house, the party leaders went to Istana Negara for an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.”

He said he had not gone as he had wanted to think about the matter. Even before that, he added, Muhyiddin had gone to see him many times to ask him in private to agree to PPBM’s exit from PH.

“I did not reject him outright. I told him I would think about it,” he said, adding that the proposal had come as a shock to him.

“I did not agree as I was from PH which won the struggle to topple (former prime minister) Najib Razak. I found it strange for PPBM which struggled to topple Najib to work with Najib.”

Maintaining that he had not agreed to quit PH, he said he could not be convinced to do so, even by the claims that the coalition was being controlled by DAP.