Teething trouble: Malaysia’s new ruling alliance hit by early split over cabinet positions
Rift forms among four parties making up the fledgling coalition government, with Anwar supporters accusing PM Mahathir of ‘bulldozing’ the process
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and jailed politician Anwar Ibrahim tried to ease a rift within their ruling alliance on Sunday after differences erupted between their supporters over cabinet positions.
The four-party alliance scored a historic victory in Wednesday’s general election over the long-ruling Barisan Nasional government, but the emergence of a rift so soon is raising questions about the unity of what was always an unlikely coalition.
In a statement from his hospital bed, Anwar said he told members of his People’s Justice Party (PKR) to ensure that Mahathir’s government “remains strong and stable”.
But he also said, in a conversation with Mahathir, that he raised PKR’s demand for “more inclusive negotiation”, a reference to the formation of the cabinet.