PAKATAN Harapan is ready to negotiate with Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his faction to ensure there is no split among the opposition in facing the Slim state seat by-election next month, said Anwar Ibrahim.

PH chairman Anwar said the discussion was necessary to ensure the opposition is united in facing Umno in the by-election.

“As Dr Mahathir’s faction also wants to contest there, we do not want a split among the opposition.

“His (Dr Mahathir’s group) is not in PH but we don’t want to use this as an excuse… we will negotiate with him on the candidacy in Slim,” Anwar said today after attending a PKR convention in Ampang.

He said a PH team will undertake the negotiations with Dr Mahathir’s group and report back to PH’s leadership council on the outcome.

The Port Dickson MP said PH will discuss the Slim seat on Tuesday and that it has also identified several candidates.

“There is a list of suitable candidates but we have not yet decided,” Anwar said.

Former Bersatu secretary-general Marzuki Yahya had said that Dr Mahathir’s group would field a candidate, adding the decision was reached after a PH presidential council representative said the coalition would not contest the polls.

Anwar, however, yesterday denied PH had surrendered the seat to Dr Mahathir’s team to contest.

Bersatu, led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, had said that it would sue Dr Mahathir’s faction if it uses the party logo to contest in the by-election.

The Election Commission has set the by-election for August 29, with nomination on August 15 and early voting on August 25.

The seat fell vacant after its incumbent, Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib, 59, died on July 15 at Bentong Hospital in Pahang due to a heart attack.

Khusairi, who represented Barisan Nasional, had retained the seat with a majority of 2,183 votes in the 14th general election in 2018 in a three-cornered contest among Bersatu’s Mohd Amran Ibrahim and Muhammad Zulfadli Zainal of PAS.

The Slim polls will be the 12th by-election held after the GE14. – July 26, 2020.