KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) will not be cooperating with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) for the 15th general election (GE15), Lim Guan Eng reaffirmed today.

The DAP national chairman said the PH presidential council had previously decided not to work with Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin because it saw the latter as the main "traitor” behind the Sheraton Move that toppled the PH government in February 2020 and who went on to form a "backdoor government” with Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner.

Lim said PH had serious trust issues with Muhyiddin, and that he would oppose it should the council reverse its decision and work with Muhyiddin.

"As for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, PH is willing to cooperate with Opposition parties provided they accept the leadership role of PH and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the candidate for prime minister.

"This was accepted unconditionally by Muda and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. However, the PH presidential council has not been informed of any change of heart by Tun Dr Mahathir.

"Anwar Ibrahim had returned my call affirming these principles and explained that he was misquoted. He said that a correction will be made,” Lim wrote on his Facebook page today.

Several news portals reported Anwar as saying he would consider working with Bersatu and Dr Mahathir’s Pejuang, as the coalition had not shut its door completely to them.

He was also quoted as saying that he would consider working with Bersatu and Pejuang as long as they adhered to the PH reform agenda.

Former PH ally Muhyiddin helmed the PN government as prime minister for 17 months before resigning, amid a prolonged and fractious power struggle with Umno that left the PN coalition in tatters.