DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang has expressed surprise at Anwar Ibrahim’s claim to having the majority support of MPs to change government and be the next prime minister.

The Iskandar Puteri MP said he has been campaigning in Sabah since September 14, ahead of the coming state election this Saturday, and not been in contact with Anwar.

“Anwar’s media conference today is as much a surprise to me as to anyone else.

“I last met Anwar before I came to Sabah to campaign for Warisan Plus candidates… when Anwar assured me that he was not contacting former Umno leaders like Najib Razak and Zahid Hamidi, nor the PAS leadership, in an attempt to regain the people’s mandate, which was illegitimately robbed in the ‘Sheraton Move’ in February that toppled the 22-month Pakatan Harapan (PH) government,” Lim said in a statement this evening.

Anwar today announced he had the support of the majority of MPs to form a new government.

However, he would not reveal the numbers when asked by journalists but stressed that the numbers were decisive enough.

The PKR president said he would only reveal details after meeting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who is currently admitted at the National Heart Institute. 

Anwar said he had already spoken to the Agong by telephone yesterday, while Istana Negara confirmed in a statement that an audience for Anwar and PKR adviser Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail scheduled for yesterday had been postponed.

DAP in a statement after Anwar’s announcement said its MPs would support the PH chairman, if he had the majority numbers.

DAP, which has 42 MPs, has said it will never work with Umno.

PH, which comprises PKR, DAP and Amanah, has 91 MPs in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat.

A vote in the House in July to remove Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof revealed that the opposition had 109 MPs, while Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government had the support of 113.

This is the second time Anwar has claimed he has the numbers to change the government, the first being in September 2008, which did not materialise.

Following Anwar’s press conference, Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) component parties have issued statements that they remain supportive of Muhyiddin.

In a separate statement, Muhyiddin said he is still prime minister, until and unless Anwar can prove his support. – September 23, 2020.