Anwar Ibrahim went from heir-apparent to nemesis, and now former law minister Zaid Ibrahim is suggesting that Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his former number two bury the hatchet after 17 years of animosity.

This, he said, is to unite the nation and rid it of the current leader.

He also called on the former premier to put aside his personal dislike for Anwar as the latter is better than Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"Whatever Anwar's faults, they are nothing compared to Najib's wide-ranging failure to govern the country," he added in his latest blog.

Zaid argued that Mahathir's dislike should not prevent Anwar from administering the nation.

"Anwar has been convicted and is serving his time. That's enough punishment for what is essentially a moral offence.

"Anwar certainly has a lot to offer the country and Mahathir knows this, otherwise he would not have groomed him as his successor all those years ago," he said.

He added that perhaps Mahathir and Anwar are the only two people who could unite the nation and steer it out of the present morass.

Zaid also mentioned the purported meeting between Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali and Mahathir in London, which was never confirmed, asking if was a prelude to the "mother of all meetings".

"Everyone is now waiting for it to happen - after all, those two personalities shaped Malaysian politics over the past 30 years," he added.

Dr M-Anwar-Ku Li triumvirate

Zaid also pointed out that Mahathir's presence at Anwar's father's funeral ( photo ) recently was a good sign of an improvement in the relationship between the two.

"I mentioned earlier how Mahathir and (former finance minister) Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah could do wonders if they just sat down together to work out how to save the country. That work would be more effective if Anwar were to join the group.

"Such a triumvirate would ensure the quick disposal of Najib's government because the parliamentary opposition combined with BN would be enough to unseat the prime minister, who is now getting support from some royal houses," he added in reference to the Pahang sultan endorsing the current administration.

Zaid ( right ) also said Anwar is not an agent of the West, as Mahathir used to describe him in his anger over the financial crisis of 1998.

"His fault was to swallow hook, line and sinker the prescriptions of the International Monetary Fund as the only solution to manage the crisis.

"This would have meant massive 'restructuring' that would have put the sovereignty of the nation at risk.

"Mahathir acted well and saved the country but he is wrong to accuse Anwar of deliberately trying to wreck the country for the benefit of the United States.

"He must surely know that doctors sometimes use different methods to treat the same ailment," he added.

Tengku Razaleigh as interim PM

On the same note, Zaid called on Anwar to forgive and forget.

"He should cease describing his condition as the result of a 20-year 'political conspiracy' by Mahathir and others to deprive him of political power.

"He must want to open a new chapter of moving the country forward. He must come up with a new plan to overcome systemic corruption, improve and depoliticise the civil service, abolish the Sedition Act and yet maintain public order.

"He needs a new economic plan to save the country and Government agencies. He should leave conspiracies out of the discussion now and forever," he added.

Zaid recalled how Mahathir and Anwar conceived of their tag-team in 1989, and now have an opportunity to make it a success with Tengku Razaleigh ( left ) perhaps as interim prime minister for three years in preparation for the next general election.

"Then Anwar can take over with his new plans for the country. If those plans include the so-called crooked bridge, why not? It's not a bad idea to remind Singapore once in a while that we are able to decide what we want for ourselves.

"Mahathir would be assured that there would be no more 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) - types of ventures, that BR1M (Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia) would be scrapped and that billions of government ringgit would be used for proper economic policies.

"Mahathir can be assured that Anwar would be very pro-Islam but Malaysians would have their rights protected, and I am sure Anwar would have no difficulty scrapping the Sedition Act and other laws that are unnecessary for our well-being.

"If you like my proposal, go tell Mahathir, Anwar and Siti Nurhaliza (the singer who expressed support for Mahathir amid his ongoing feud with Najib).

"Then let's march together on May 1 and show Najib the way out - peacefully, of course," he added.