KUALA LUMPUR - Four Malaysian opposition MPs and a senator on Wednesday (March 17) urged opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim to reject any cooperation with "kleptocrats" and instead, focus on strengthening the opposition.
Their joint statement followed remarks by Datuk Seri Anwar on Tuesday that he has met several Umno leaders in preliminary talks to work together in the next general election.
The five opposition representatives in their statement said political cooperation must involve only groups that share common ideals.
"We urge Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to strengthen the Opposition bloc and reject any cooperation with kleptocrats. Any cooperation with any party must be built based on this principle," the statement said.
"We need to work together and focus on our efforts on the people's agenda."
As Mr Anwar is leader of the three-member Pakatan Harapan (PH) opposition pact, it is widely assumed that he wanted to bring about a PH-Umno alliance into the polls.
There are worries in the opposition that Mr Anwar might tarnish their parties by choosing to work with Umno leaders who face corruption charges or have been found guilty of such charges in court.
The Umno leaders keen to leave the Perikatan Nasional governing alliance and work with Mr Anwar include Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former premier Najib Razak.
Zahid is facing a raft of corruption charges while Najib has been sentenced to 12 years in jail in a case involving a company formerly part of state fund 1MDB. Najib is appealing against the conviction.
PH consists of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) led by Mr Anwar, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Amanah Negara.
Two of those who signed the joint statement were Amanah's deputy president Salahuddin Ayub and the DAP's central committee member Liew Chin Tong, who is a senator.
The other three men were opposition MPs - Mr Mohd Azis Jamman, the youth chief of Parti Warisan Sabah; Mr Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, chief of new political party Muda; and Mr Baru Bian from Parti Sarawak Bersatu.
"Malaysia has undergone a year of failures by the Perikatan Nasional administration," the statement said.
"Facing this administrative incompetence and economic management during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Opposition bloc needs to cooperate among parties and MPs to bring about an agenda to restore the country," it said.
Mr Anwar had, at a news conference on Tuesday, said: "I've already said it would be premature to indicate any possibility of cooperation in the next general election. At this stage, we are just discussing."
He did not deny when asked whether he had met Najib in these talks.
