PETALING JAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had initiated the move for Bersatu to leave Pakatan Harapan but decided against it at the very last minute when he received support to continue as prime minister, says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
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The Perikatan Nasional chairman claimed Dr Mahathir’s decision to resign as prime minister in February 2020 was not because he no longer had the support of the party’s supreme council.
He said that at the time, he, along with 137 other MPs from Bersatu, PKR, PAS, Barisan, GPS, PBS and Warisan, had signed a declaration to support Dr Mahathir as prime minister.
He said Dr Mahathir had quit as prime minister because he was dissatisfied with Bersatu supreme council’s decision to leave Pakatan Harapan.
“Tun Mahathir had started a movement to get Bersatu out of PH.
“But he made a U-turn at the last minute when the PH presidential council, in its meeting on Feb 21, 2020, decided to continue to support him as prime minister,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
Muhyiddin said before that, Dr Mahathir was urged by several parties in PH to step down to make way for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be appointed as the eighth prime minister.
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“After the PH presidential council decided to continue supporting him as the prime minister, he tried to convince the Bersatu supreme council to remain in PH. But the Bersatu supreme council almost unanimously decided otherwise,” he added.
Muhyiddin said the decision was made because Bersatu believed they were losing the support of the Malays.
He added that in the Semenyih and Tanjung Piai by-elections, Bersatu candidates who were contesting under PH had lost, despite previously winning in the two seats during GE14.
Muhyiddin said Dr Mahathir decided to resign as prime minister.
“I am one of the Members of Parliament who signed a declaration to continue supporting him as prime minister.
“Despite being disappointed with the Bersatu supreme council decision, Tun Mahathir should not have resigned.
“Unfortunately, Tun Mahathir resigned on his own accord,” he said.-The Star