Dr M Debunks Pakatan Nasional Says People Speculate Due To His Openness

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Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has dismissed talk that he is working to form a new coalition with opposition parties which some have dubbed as "Pakatan Nasional"
Mahathir said he was open to meeting everyone including the opposition but noted that some people had interpreted such meetings as attempts to set up a new coalition
"There are many stories, this is because I am open to meeting with everyone be it opposition parties, NGOs, religious or racial groups
"I am open to hearing their opinions because I won't be able to solve problems if I don't know what they think

"That is what happened but there are those that interpret my meetings with leaders from the opposition as an effort to create a new coalition. That is not true," he told The Malaya Post, a recently set up news portal
Mahathir maintains that he has not courted opposition parties to form a new government
"I have not invited them but they are aware that they are in a weak position and as a weak party they are forced to change their approach which is to support (me) but they so do with conditions even though it is not mentioned
"They will only support me if my actions are in line with their views but if they are not, I do not think they will support me," he said
He then gave the example of Gabungan Parti Sarawak voting against the government's constitutional amendment to refer tp Sabah and Sarawak as equal territories instead of states
The former Umno president also acknowledged that the political landscape has changed as previously Umno was dominant and other component parties were forced to toe the line
However, the Pakatan Harapan and Bersatu chairperson said under the current coalition, a consensus was needed from all five parties - the four parties in Harapan and its partner Warisan in Sabah
"Last time, everything was smooth because Umno was dominant and had a two-thirds majority. It could do anything so much so that even when its leader had wrongdoings he could remain in power
"But now, if we do not make decisions that are acceptable to all five parties, we wouldn't be able to do our duty
"So we need to contain our personal feelings and accept views that are modified to suit the wishes of all five parties," he said. - Mkini

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