Defiant Ronnie Liu lists seven possible scenarios if Dr M returns as PM

PETALING JAYA: As the cracks begin to widen in Pakatan Harapan amid disagreement over its choice for premier, vocal DAP assemblyman Ronnie Liu has listed seven scenarios that could happen if Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad returns as prime minister.

The Sungai Pelek assemblyman claimed that if Dr Mahathir were to return as prime minister, the 95-year-old may use his position as a bargaining chip to renegotiate terms with ally-turned-nemesis Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

“He (Dr Mahathir) may gang up with Muhyiddin and Datuk Seri Azmin Ali again if the offers are good and dump Pakatan, ” he said in a Facebook post Wednesday (June 17).

Liu, who is a DAP central executive committee member, also claimed that Dr Mahathir may not be able to garner enough parliamentary support to be prime minister, where it could risk Pakatan’s credibility as a political coalition in the process.

“Even if Dr Mahathir finally finds the numbers, the King may not even want to see him.

“Even if Dr Mahathir becomes the prime minister, he may create more problems or even scandals to make life difficult for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and other Pakatan leaders again.

“Dr Mahathir may go back to his old ways and Anwar, as the deputy prime minister, will find it difficult to stop him. Pakatan will then lose all its credibility as a political coalition.”

Liu further claimed that if Dr Mahathir becomes the ninth prime minister, the 95-year-old may renege on the power transition agreement.

“He may resign and walk out of Pakatan again. Or he may just dissolve Parliament. There’s nothing you and I can do.

“Dr Mahathir as prime minister designate and Anwar as deputy designate may trigger the Muhyiddin government to call for snap elections to prevent the loss of power to Pakatan," Liu added.

Liu had previously lashed out at Dr Mahathir’s leadership, for which he received flak from Pakatan leaders.

DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke had previously described Liu’s statements as “sabotaging Pakatan”.

Liu’s remarks appeared to have contradicted Loke’s statement, who said on Wednesday (June 17) that Pakatan leaders are mostly in support of Dr Mahathir taking the helm of premiership again with Anwar serving as his deputy.

A statement issued by Pakatan secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution also said that Pakatan had never nominated other names except Anwar as its prime minister candidate.

Observers are closely watching developments surrounding Pakatan’s choice for premier, as it is a sensitive and thorny issue that threatens to undermine the coalition’s hopes of returning to Putrajaya again.