SHAH ALAM – The Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration would not have collapsed if 11 other PKR lawmakers had left together with those in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), said Amanah information chief Khalid Samad.
Even with the departure of Bersatu, who at the time had 26 MPs, Khalid said Pakatan would still have 116 MPs in parliament but the number had then dwindled down to 105 after 10 other lawmakers from PKR had decided to join then party deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali to leave the coalition.
"The government would not have fallen if only Bersatu had left but there were 11 PKR MPs that jumped as well and that was what brought our numbers down to 105 including.
"Had the 11 PKR MPs stayed on, we would have 116 and we would still have the majority,’’ said Khalid in an exclusive interview with Sinar Daily.
Following the aftermath of the Sheraton Move and the formation of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration, many within PH had blamed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for his alleged failures that led to the collapse of the PH administration.
However, Khalid pointed out that Dr Mahathir was abandoned by Bersatu, a party he had founded himself, and thought that the statesmen could not bear to face his peers in PH after what had happened.
"All those people blaming Tun (Dr Mahathir), I don't deny he probably has a responsibility, when he resigned he didn't tell us but if you put yourself in his shoes, he was the founder of Bersatu... the party left him.
"He couldn't bring himself to face the public, the people who are with Umno on the night before had asked him to resign.
"All the others in PH were pro-Anwar and he was left on his own. How could he come and talk to them and tell them ‘look my party left me, I'm left alone, I'm going to resign’... to bring himself to that level and kowtow to PH.
"I think being at that age he felt it was an impossible situation for him to handle so he resign. After he resign, he didn't want to meet anybody...because he was shattered and that's the fact,’’ he said.