Pakatan Harapan parties can opt to be “realistic and smart” to allow Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) lead the opposition coalition, said former law minister Zaid Ibrahim.

“PKR can be smart and allow Bersatu to lead GE14 and win or continue feeling aggrieved and indulge in self-pity. It's D-Day today.

“DAP and Amanah can decide to be realistic, or they can continue with their fantasy. It's D-Day for them too,” he said in a Twitter posting.

Zaid, who is now a DAP member, was commenting on a news report which claimed that Bersatu had proposed that its leaders Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Muhyiddin Yassin be appointed as the coalition's chairperson and president respectively, with PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim as the adviser.

Bersatu also proposed that Anwar's wife and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail be made deputy chairperson while PKR deputy president Azmin Ali be appointed as the coalition's deputy president.

Whereas DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu would serve as vice-presidents.

The Harapan presidential council, which is meeting this morning, is expected to discuss this proposal.

Quoting a source, the Malay Mail Online reported that DAP and Amanah were not pleased with the proposal.

Previously, it was proposed that Wan Azizah would serve as chairperson while Muhyiddin, Lim and Mohammad Sabu be appointed vice-presidents.

Harapan plans to register itself as a formal coalition ahead of the next general election.

Over the past weeks, the coalition's leaders were also at odds over who should be named as prime minister candidate if Harapan wins the next election.

Adding a new twist, Mahathir had said that he would consider becoming prime minister again if Harapan wanted him to.

However, Anwar had stressed that such a decision must be based on consensus.

During the PKR congress last month, PKR leaders, as well as Lim and Mohammad Sabu, raised placards proclaiming Anwar, who is serving a five-year prison sentence, as the next prime minister.

However, Mahathir and Muhyiddin, who were also on stage, did not raise the placards.

Supporters of Mahathir such as Zaid criticised the raising of the placards as being disrespectful towards the 92-year-old former premier and Muhyiddin.

Whereas Bersatu Youth chief Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman called for an independent poll to gauge who Malaysians wanted as their prime minister if Harapan wins.

Anwar's supporters have suggested that if Harapan seizes federal power, Wan Azizah would serve as an interim prime minister until Anwar is able to take over the post.