NAJIB Razak was seeking “some sort of arrangement” in his phone call to Anwar Ibrahim on the night of the 14th general election, a report said today.

Incoming PKR president Anwar, who was still a prisoner but in hospital for treatment then, said Najib was not satisfied with the results on the election and sought an arrangement with him.

Speaking to ThaiPBS, Anwar said Najib, however, did not pursue the matter any further when he was told to direct his request to Pakatan Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“He was going on and on saying this – there are possibilities of having some sort of arrangement because we (BN) are not satisfied with the results of the election.

“Finally, I said, look, I am still technically in prison… This is going to be your last call to me. After this, you are going to deal with (Dr) Mahathir.

“Then, he became a bit quiet for a while,” he said in the interview.

Anwar also said that he told Najib to concede defeat first and discuss arrangements later.

“He did indicate that he was prepared to discuss and negotiate, but I didn’t entertain this. Our mandate was very clear. We won a clear majority. (I told him) this (discussion) would come later.

“If you want to, you have to discuss with (Dr) Mahathir. He kept quiet… nothing,” he said.

Anwar also said that despite advising Najib to concede defeat, the latter put it off until the next morning.

“He refused (to concede) until the next morning about 11am, and even then, he was a bit combative.

“It was actually due to his plain arrogance that invited this sort of backlash,” he said.

Previously in an interview with Reuters, Anwar revealed that Najib had called him twice on the night of May 9.

He said Najib was thinking of what he could do and who he could consult. But Anwar insisted the former prime minister did not approach him for a deal in any “serious manner”.

“Even if he had referred to that (a deal), I would have just ignored… I was just listening to him,” Anwar had said then.

“After the second call, he was totally shattered,” he added.

Under a Pakatan Harapan agreement, Anwar will take over from Dr Mahathir as prime minister. He was freed from prison on May 16 after receiving a royal pardon. – September 5, 2018.