KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin has described Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir as "desperate” ahead of the Kedah state election.

He said the Parti Pejuang Tanah Air president’s request for seats from both Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) reflects Mukhriz’s fight for his and his party’s survival.

"It means that he is desperate now to find a place. Let it be, it’s alright.

"As a politician he is forced to do so as he needs to depend [on other political parties],” Hamzah told reporters when met at the Parliament building here.

According to a report by Berita Harian, a source close to Mukhriz, he had made a request for seat allocation during a meeting with the PAS top leadership recently.

Last Sunday, Central PAS election director Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor reportedly confirmed a meeting between Mukhriz and PAS’ top leadership recently.

Kedah PH chairman, Datuk Mahfuz Omar has also confirmed that Mukhriz met him about two months ago, to discuss the possibilities for cooperation between Pejuang and PH in the state election.

This comes as Mukhriz’s father and Pejuang founder Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad quit the party recently, joining the Gerakan Tanah Air coalition instead.