If Anwar and Mahathir have kissed and made up, should Najib be worried?
Top political duo, once thought permanently split, form coalition to take on embattled prime minister in next general election
Nineteen years ago Mahathir Mohamad, while prime minister of Malaysia, denounced his freshly sacked deputy Anwar Ibrahim as “morally unfit” for leadership, following allegations of corruption and sodomy.
Mahathir, now 92, has criticised Malaysia’s current head of government and described him as dictatorial. Meanwhile, Anwar is still serving a prison sentence following a second sodomy charge in 2008.
Mahathir’s newly formed political party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (commonly referred to as “Bersatu”), has joined forces with Anwar’s PKR and smaller parties to take on Najib’s party Umno and its ruling National Front coalition, under the banner of Pakatan Harapan.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Mahathir said he had erred in not letting Anwar succeed him, the closest thing to an apology the Malaysian public has heard.