KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) deputy president Datuk Marzuki Yahya has rebutted the accusation that party chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was responsible for the "Sheraton Move” that led to the downfall of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government after 22 months.

Marzuki told Utusan Malaysia today that he laid the blame squarely on Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Bersatu supreme council member Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.

He was reportedly responding to PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar’s comments to the national daily yesterday that PH will not allow itself to be "bitten by a snake again”, following the "episodes of betrayal” that took place in 2018 when the PH government fell.

"I don’t think that Nurul Izzah Anwar’s comment is relevant. She knows who the real traitors are. She doesn’t have to accuse everyone else of being traitors,” the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) secretary-general was quoted as saying.

He also reportedly said that PKR had been betrayed by leaders from within its own ranks, as they had conspired with Muhyiddin to form the new government under Perikatan Nasional (PN) without elections or the people’s mandate.

He reportedly added that the bad blood between PH and Dr Mahathir goes back to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s conviction and jailing for sodomy.

"Until now, they keep blaming Dr Mahathir even though he was previously with PH and even brought in Anwar’s wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, into the PH administration,” he was quoted as saying.

Yesterday, Nurul Izzah stressed that PH will not work with GTA or PN in the coming general election (GE15), saying that the decision was final.

On September 5, Anwar said that cooperation between PH and GTA would be difficult because both coalitions have different principles.