PH will not accept UMNO - Dr Mahathir

PETALING JAYA, Sept 14 (Bernama) -- Pakatan Harapan (PH) will not accept UMNO into its fold, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

The prime minister, however, said UMNO members can join PH component parties if they individually quit their own party first.

“If they (UMNO) want to work with PKR, no way we will accept them into Pakatan Harapan (as a component party).

“But if they individually join as party members of PKR, Bersatu, DAP, or whatever, then we can accept them, but not the party,” he told a press conference here today after chairing the supreme leadership council meeting of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) of which he is chairman.

The prime minister was asked on the possibility of UMNO  working together with PKR and return back as government.

To another question, Dr Mahathir said senior lawyer Tan Sri Dr Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, at one point, was eager to be the country’s Attorney-General.

“He wanted so much to become A-G, he came to see me and said that the A-G that time cannot prosecute, they will lose the Anwar case.

“He said he could win, I said if you think you can win then you go tell Najib (then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) lah. At that time I was still friendly with Najib,” he said.

Dr Mahathir was asked to comment on allegation by Muhammad Shafee that it was him (Dr Mahathir) who push him to prosecute Anwar for Sodomy 2.0 trial.

-- BERNAMA