RECENTLY, some quarters have accused Dr Mahathir Mohamad of being the root of all problems that Pakatan Harapan is currently facing. While he is no saint, it would not be accurate to label him as an obstacle to the reform agenda.

The historic decision for the former opposition parties to collaborate with Dr Mahathir was done based on the following considerations:

Firstly, the Mahathir swing factor

With Najib Razak and PAS colluding to create three-cornered fights that would most likely benefit Barisan Nasional, it would have been impossible for Pakatan Harapan to win federal power in the last general election without forming an alliance with Dr Mahathir and Bersatu.

Back in March 2014, Najib had started to lure PAS into Umno’s fold. In February 2015, Anwar Ibrahim was imprisoned and shortly after that, tok guru Nik Aziz passed on. In June that year, the PAS conservative wing called for a total rejection of progressives and PAS split after the muktamar. Those remaining in PAS cooperated with Najib. Najib’s scheme was mainly based on the presumption that those who voted against him would vote for PAS instead of Pakatan and after winning the elections, Umno and PAS would come together to form a ruling bloc. Najib thought he could still win big even though he was embroiled in probably one of the biggest corruption scandals in history.

It is undeniable that the change in government that happened on May 9 last year was catalysed by the dissatisfaction against Najib. However, it was the historic collaboration between Dr Mahathir and Anwar, and Bersatu joining forces with the remaining Pakatan Harapan component parties, swinging 15%-20% of Malay votes in the west coast that finally allowed Pakatan Harapan to overcome Najib’s “three-cornered” strategy and wrestle power from Barisan Nasional.

Secondly, the Mahathir-Anwar government

The decision for the existing Pakatan Harapan component parties (DAP, PKR and Amanah) to form an alliance with Bersatu was only achieved after prolonged deliberations and negotiations. Significant milestones for the coalition include:

• The existing Pakatan Harapan component parties signed a memorandum of understanding with Bersatu on December 13, 2016.
• Dr Mahathir and other Bersatu leaders joined the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council on March 27, 2017, signifying that Bersatu has officially become the fourth member of the coalition.
• Dr Mahathir was announced as the chairman, Wan Azizah as the president and Anwar as the de facto leader of the coalition on July 14, 2017.
• Dr Mahathir was named as the prime minister-designate, Wan Azizah as his deputy and Anwar as the eighth prime minister on January 7, 2018.

Since Day 1, it was clear to Dr Mahathir and the other Bersatu leaders that it would not be possible to topple Najib’s government without first becoming allies with Pakatan Harapan.

The decision to join Pakatan Harapan signified that Dr Mahathir and Bersatu agreed that the new government is a Mahathir-Anwar government. Without either Dr Mahathir/Bersatu or the tripartite Pakatan Harapan coalition led by Anwar, Najib would continue to roam freely and cling onto power.

Dr Mahathir understands that this is a Mahathir-Anwar government as much as Anwar understands that this is an Anwar-Mahathir government.

Thirdly, the historic collaboration between Bersatu and DAP

On March 4, 2016, Lim Kit Siang accepted Dr Mahathir’s invitation to attend the meeting on Citizens’ Declaration (Deklarasi Rakyat) and this marked the start of a grand coalition between DAP and Dr Mahathir.

A “grand coalition” refers to an arrangement in which two unrelated or even opposing forces unite in the face of a mutual enemy or a common goal.

It is not easy for two previously opposing forces to come together and this process requires countless negotiations and discussions. A grand coalition like this will be able to surmount problems that used to seem unsolvable, as long as it maintains a mechanism of collaboration and engagement, and mutual respect.

The collaboration between DAP and Bersatu requires us to let go of mutual suspicion and admit that differences do exist between us. Having said that, armed with the ability to lead our respective supporters and to drive the direction of nation-building, we will be able to work hand-in-hand to create a whole new political landscape.

A clear understanding of the above points will allow us to progress towards achieving the dream of reforming Malaysia, one step at a time. – February 20, 2019.

* Liew Chin Tong is the deputy defence minister.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.