KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — Barely two years after Barisan Nasional was voted out, Malaysians will be watching today whether the former ruling coalition has slipped back into power without even a single ballot.
After a day of unexpected meetings among the parties implicated in the plot for a new government, speculation was intense that a replacement for the Pakatan Harapan government would be announced last night.
However, an aide to the prime minister said none would be made, forcing Malaysians to endure at least another day of suspense.
At noon today, PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled for an audience with the Yang diPertuan Agong, who already met yesterday with the leaders of six political parties that are believed will form this new and still-unnamed coalition.
Anwar’s political secretary, Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak, told Malay Mail last night that the meeting had been scheduled prior to yesterday’s developments and meant to update the Agong on political developments.
However, the PKR president will likely be forced to address events yesterday that he categorised as a “betrayal”.
All across Sunday, the political parties of Bersatu, Umno, PAS, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Parti Warisan Sabah, and the PKR faction aligned with Datuk Seri Azmin Ali gathered for furtive meetings that each tried to play down as “normal” despite their patently atypical nature.
Despite the open speculation that the PH government was about to collapse and be replaced by the new alliance of ruling and Opposition parties, no government leader or representative has come out to deny this and calm the nation.
Instead, the personalities involved have chosen to play coy about the true reason for their gatherings and attempted to pass off their meeting with fierce opponents as casual encounters.
While Anwar described the betrayal as complete last night, it is still unclear if the parties in the purported plot have the numbers to replace Pakatan Harapan.
The coalition and its partner Warisan squeaked into power in 2018 with 121 seats, but has steadily added to this by recruiting lawmakers from Opposition parties, primarily Umno, to bring its representation in Parliament to 139.
However, most joined Bersatu and the departure of its 26 MPs and and Warisan’s nine is certain to undo the government as this would leave PKR, DAP and Amanah with just 104 seats, short of the 112 needed to continue with a simple majority.
This is also before accounting for PKR MPs from Datuk Seri Azmin Ali’s so-called cartel who are expected to join the new coalition.
The allegiances of Warisan and GPS are still undeclared, although leaders of both attended a peculiar meeting in the capital here at the same as a hurriedly convened Umno supreme council meeting.
Without their support, the purported coalition government will be stillborn.
Through it all, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has demonstrated an elegant silence and refused to either confirm or quash the furious speculation, leaving others to fill in the gaps still left by Malaysians’ imaginations.
He departed after chairing the Bersatu supreme council meeting, which his son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, categorised as “normal” and remained at home while political foes turned temporary allies attended a dinner at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya.
On the Internet, PH supporters lashed out at the betrayal and accused the leaders involved of putting themselves before the country.
Azmin came in for the brunt of the abuse and was accused of negating the efforts and sacrifices of all those who toiled to defeat BN in 2018.
Others held on to hope that the rumours and speculation would ultimately prove to be wrong but Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa believed that there was no return from yesterday’s events.
