Dr Mahathir Mohamad had allegedly appealed to Bersatu’s leaders not to force him to break his promise of handing over power to Anwar Ibrahim, said supreme council member A Kadir Jasin.
Kadir said Dr Mahathir had resigned from the party because he felt the majority of the party’s leadership council “listened more to his political secretary than him”.
Kadir, who did not name the political aide, said Dr Mahathir was referring to the heated debate at the council’s meeting on Sunday during which the future of Bersatu in Pakatan Harapan was discussed.
“At that meeting, Dr Mahathir explained the wide mandate the PH presidential council had given him at the meeting of February 21 (Friday),” said Kadir in a blog post today.
“He appealed to MPT members not to force him to abandon his principles and renege on his promise (to hand over power to Anwar Ibrahim after the November APEC Summit).
Kadir said the 94-year-old politician received an unplanned visit from Bersatu leaders at his private residence this morning to persuade him to retract his resignation as the party’s chairperson.
According to Kadir, the interim premier is not treating the appeal to rescind his resignation as Bersatu chairperson as an urgent matter since he has to deal with more pressing issues.
“By the look of things, he was not treating their appeal as an urgent matter. It should be so. There are many more urgent matters that require his attention.
“These include managing the economy, steadying the capital market, continuing with the proposed economic stimulus package, consulting with top civil servants and meeting leaders of the main political parties.
“The last bit of the agenda will help him understand more clearly the extent of support most of them had expressed for him and, from there, to plot the next move.
“For instance, are they supporting him because they genuinely want him to continue to lead the country or because they don’t want their adversaries to win popular support to become prime minister?
“If the support in genuine and there’s no other contender, he can start forming a new government,” Kadir said.
Whatever form of government Dr Mahathir decides on, Kadir assures that it would have no room for the corrupt.
“The crooks, kleptocrats, the OKTs (those charged) and the generally corrupt are not welcome. This he made clear to his party (Bersatu) at the Sunday meeting.
“The rule of law, the high-profile trials and the reform agenda will continue,” added the veteran newsman in a blog posting this afternoon.
Kadir, who served as Mahathir’s media and communications adviser until the latter’s resignation yesterday, also appeared to lend credence to PKR and DAP’s version of what led to the current political imbroglio.