Anwar confident of unity govt with BN, court charges not discussed

Pakatan Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim is confident he will be able to form and lead a “unity government” with BN’s support.

He said, while BN is still undecided, he was very pleased by the outcome of the two coalitions meeting today.

Speaking at a press conference at the Seri Pacific Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Anwar said seven representatives from BN took part in the discussions with Harapan.

Among the representatives, he said, were Umno leaders Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Mohamad Hasan and Ismail Sabri Yaakob - although the caretaker prime minister had to leave early due to work.

Anwar said the discussions centred on the need to form a stable and inclusive government that would focus on good governance and reviving a stagnant economy.

Asked whether any of the court cases against Umno leaders were discussed, the PKR president replied in the negative.

“There was no reference at all to the issue of anticipated charges,” he said.

A key proponent for BN aligning with Harapan is believed to be Zahid, who is on trial for corruption.

Zahid has been accused by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin of trying to get his court cases dropped. The Umno president denied this.

Anwar during an interview in April, said his attempt to form government in 2020 also failed because he refused to interfere with court cases - strongly implying that his backers then were Zahid and BN.

The scramble to form a government now is after Saturday's election ended with a hung Parliament.

Harapan has 82 seats, while BN has 30. Both sides met at the Seri Pacific Hotel today in order to cobble together an agreement to work together.

Harapan and BN have already joined forces to resolve Perak's hung assembly with BN's Saarani Mohamad keeping the menteri besar post, while a BN-Harapan government in Pahang is also in the works.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has extended a deadline for prime minister candidates to prove they have a majority by 24 hours to 2pm Tuesday.

Not all BN MPs on board

Anwar said during the presser that BN has asked for more time to deliberate and conclude negotiations with all who are courting them for support.

However, not all BN MPs are on board, with Hishammuddin Hussein (Sembrong), Hasni Mohammad (Simpang Renggam), and Jalaluddin Alias (Jelebu) objecting to any cooperation that involves Harapan component DAP.

Another BN MP, Adnan Abu Hassan (Kuala Pilah), was absent from today's gathering and his stance is unclear.

Asked to respond to Hishammuddin's objections to the BN supporting him as prime minister, Anwar believed the latter will be revising his statement after the outcome of today's meeting.

He also said there would be no issue with there being a DAP government.

“My response (to Hishammuddin) is that there is no DAP government.

“It is a coalition or unity government,” he said.

Speculation is rife that Hishammuddin and the three others are backing Perikatan Nasional's prime minister candidate Muhyiddin Yassin.

PN - which won 73 seats - currently has the backing of GPS (22 seats), and GRS (6), as well as an independent Sabah MP and two more MPs from KDM.

However, the coalition claimed it already has 112 MPs and has submitted the necessary statutory declarations to the king.

Responding to this, Anwar said any agreement PN had with BN should be considered void as it took place before Harapan engaged BN.

As for vitriol between Harapan and BN during the election campaign season, the Harapan chief said both sides see the need to form a government that does not compromise on fundamental issues such as governance, and that once an agreement is made all will have to “move on”.

Regarding cooperation with East Malaysian parties, Anwar gave his assurance that he would be reaching out.

Sarawak and Sabah's ruling coalitions GPS and GRS are currently aligned with PN.

On Perak and Pahang, Anwar said political developments there were very positive.

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