KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — Patriot president Brig Jen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji today said that the retired security personnel group is disgusted with the latest turn of political events in the country following an attempt to form a backdoor government. 

“As widely reported, Bersatu and a faction of PKR politicians are trying to form a new government that includes Umno and PAS.

“This is shocking especially barely two days after the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council had proclaimed the settlement of the issue of premiership succession,” Mohamed Arshad said in a statement this morning. 

He said Patriot views this unholy attempt to form a backdoor government as a betrayal of the people’s mandate.

“Patriot will not support any government formed that includes Umno and PAS. 

“If it is true that the PH government has collapsed, like any mature democracy, then the rightful thing is to dissolve parliament so that coalition parties can seek a new mandate from the people,” he said. 

Unexpected meetings among the parties implicated in the plot for a new government took place yesterday, as speculation was intense that a replacement for the Pakatan Harapan government would be announced last night.

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.

There were four separate meetings yesterday — Azmin’s faction at Sheraton Hotel, Petaling Jaya, Bersatu leaders at their Petaling Jaya headquarters, GPS and Warisan at Ritz Carlton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur and PAS and Umno at a retreat in Janda Baik, Pahang.

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.

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.