WORKING with former foe Anwar Ibrahim is better than letting Najib Razak continue ruining Malaysia, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The prime minister, in an interview with the New Sunday Times, said this was why he decided to team up with Anwar before the general election on May 9 last year.

Dr Mahathir was asked why he chose to work with the now PKR president after previously saying Anwar was not fit to be a leader.

“Well, that was before. Yes, I did say that. But between Najib and Anwar, I think Najib is a worse leader than Anwar. The worst leader.

“To have Anwar replace a person like Najib is more acceptable than to have Najib carry on, so I decided that I would work Anwar, whatever I may have said about him before, whatever he has said against me before.

“I thought that our working together was far more important, in order to displace Najib, than for us to quarrel, because I knew if we didn’t work together, Najib would (continue as) prime minister and that would be disastrous for the country.”

He said Anwar, who is poised to take over as prime minister, “has leadership qualities”, evident in his ability to bring together the now defunct Pakatan Rakyat, and today, leading a “considerable part of Pakatan Harapan”.

“Pakatan Rakyat failed because they were not cohesive. But after we came together, we were able to work much more closely.

“The fact remains that he was from Umno, and Umno, of course, was not very liked by the opposition.

“He left Umno and he was able to bring DAP – PAS, even – and his party together, so he has leadership qualities.”

Dr Mahathir, who is also PH chairman, dismissed talk that the pact would disintegrate without him at the helm.

“So far, I have been able to lead. We don’t see any substitute yet… but there have been occasions when I left the cabinet and Wan Azizah led, and she was able to conduct the meeting, at least for the short period I was away. There was once when I was out of the country, and she conducted the meeting,” he said, referring to Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

He reiterated that Anwar will take over as prime minister, and said the latter should be able to keep PH together.

“Who fills (the post) after me, or after Wan Azizah, is something else. Of course, what we say is that Anwar will take over (as prime minister).

“Anwar has been deputy prime minister before. He ought to know how to keep the party together.” – April 7, 2019.