Cheras Umno division chief, Syed Ali Alhabshee denied talk of a secret pact between former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim to topple Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

 

Considering such speculation as slander, Syed Ali alleged such talk was being spread by the opposition through the social media, as well as news portals.

 

He said there were certain quarters taking advantage of the tension between Najib and Mahathir to mislead the people that there is a pact between the former prime minister and Anwar.

This was to further worsen the relationship between Najib and Mahathir.

 

Such talk, Syed Ali ( right ) said, is without basis as Najib is not faced with a big problem in administering the nation and party.

 

“We cannot discount the possibility that this is an attempt to split Umno's unity,” he said in a blog posting, adding that he is confident Umno members would not be duped by such slander.

“Umno members have given their mandate to Najib, hence they will defend him as their president and prime minister,” he added.

 

Speculation about the Mahathir-Anwar pact came after Mahathir and his wife Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali attended the funeral of Anwar  Ibrahim’s father earlier this month.

 

Syed Ali expressed regret that this had been manipulated and politicised by certain quarters.

This could be the work of certain people out to create further friction between Mahathir and Najib, he surmised.

 

“But being political enemies need not mean a break in relations.

"For me, Mahathir's visit is just to respect the late Ibrahim who was active in Umno,” said Syed Ali.

He added that it was not logical for Mahathir to work with Anwar, as it was Mahathir who sacked Anwar from Umno and the government.

 

“Politics is the art of the impossible, but in this issue it is impossible for Mahathir (to team up with Anwar),” Syed Ali added.