Zaid Ibrahim has called on Pakatan Harapan leaders to place their full trust in Dr Mahathir Mohamad to make the right decisions.

In a blog posting this afternoon, the former law minister said he has heard that there are still differences over seat allocations within the opposition coalition.

“Some think they are from the 'senior party' and therefore must contest more seats than others. The new kids on the block also want more seats than they deserve,” he added.

Zaid pointed out that Mahathir's Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) would naturally want the most seats, otherwise, the party's claim of being an alternative Malay party to Umno would sound hollow.

“I hope winning candidates are not forgotten and placed in the right constituencies, even if they are not from the party that has prior claim to that seat. Flexibility can be our strength,” he added.

Zaid believes that Mahathir would be able to do the right thing, given his vast experience and wisdom, therefore the need to have implicit trust in the 92-year former premier.

“It's not easy to accommodate and reconcile competing claims from all the 'big shots'. Harapan leaders must be prepared to let him resolve the competing claims quickly.

“The general election will probably be called after the Budget, so we do not have much time left,” he added.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is scheduled to table Budget 2018 in Parliament on Oct 27.

Zaid: 'Allow him to decide'

Zaid, who is a former Umno lawmaker, described Mahathir as a good listener, something he had observed during his tenure with Umno.

“That's why his meetings can be inordinately long. But it's important that after we have made our case, we allow him to decide the big issues.

“If we want the people to trust the opposition, we need to resolve issues quickly. That is the encouragement they need to vote the present government out,” he added.

Zaid, who is now with DAP, said he has no doubt Mahathir is the best candidate to lead Harapan, not only in unseating Najib, but also to rebuild Malaysia, which the former minister claimed “has gone mad.”

He also claimed that the opposition appeared to be somewhat united and more credible now that Mahathir is Harapan's undisputed leader.

“We are on the last lap of the race, and it's critical that leaders in Harapan be reminded that only deep, implicit trust in Mahathir can resolve the many differences that are still outstanding before the next election,” he added.