Two decades have passed since Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his former heir apparent-turned-nemesis Anwar Ibrahim locked horns, giving birth to the reformasi movement.

Now, the pair finds themselves in a similar situation where Mahathir is prime minister again and Anwar his supposed successor.

And just like in 1998, speculations of a rift have surfaced and the two have denied this.

For former Umno lawmaker Tawfik Ismail, who is the son of former deputy prime minister Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, it is a case of deja vu...