PETALING JAYA: The appointment of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic) as the advisor of "State Government 4" (SG4) is a move to make him the de facto leader of Perikatan Nasional, says former federal minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak.
"This explains why (Perikatan chairman) Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was not invited for the meeting on the four states of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu when PAS met Dr Mahathir early this month," Salleh said in a Facebook post late Thursday (Sept 14).
"I must say it’s a brilliant move by (Dr) Mahathir if his real intention (is) to be in the political forefront again despite the setback in Langkawi during GE15," added Salleh, a former Sabah chief minister and also communications and multimedia minister from 2015 to 2018.
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Salleh said Muhyiddin had little choice but to go along with PAS in the coalition.
(Muhyiddin's Bersatu has 31 parliamentary seats while PAS has 43. Additionally, all four states in SG4 are governed by PAS.)
The four Mentris Besar of the states have agreed in principle to form the official grouping for strategic cooperation and investment to improve the lives of the people.
Earlier on Thursday, PAS vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said Dr Mahathir would be made SG4's advisor on matters of governance as well as to help draw investors to the states.
