ALOR STAR: The Opposition will never be able to win any elections due to the lack of unity in their coalition, said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Dr Mahathir also predicted that opposition parties will lose the Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar by-elections for the very same reasons.
He said it was the unity factor which enabled the ruling Barisan Nasional to win elections in the past.
"They (opposition parties) can never unite. The only reason why BN has been able to win in the elections all this while is because the opposition pact has never been united.
"The recent state election in Sarawak, for instance, they (the opposition) lost. They can never be brought together and hence they will always lose, while BN will continue to win," he said.
Dr Mahathir was met at the launch of the Sultan Abdul Halim Centennial Hall of Sultan Abdul Hamid College by the Kedah Regency Council chairman Tan Sri Tunku Sallehhuddin Sultan Badlishah here today.
Also present were Puan Seri Tengku Maliha Tengku Ariff, Kedah Regency Council members Tan Sri Tunku Puteri Intan Shafinaz Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah and Tunku Laksamana of Kedah Tan Sri Tunku Abdul Hamid Thani, as well as Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah.
Dr Mahathir's comments came on the heels of a letter by his former protégé and ex-Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who had urged opposition members to tread carefully when dealing with the former prime minister.
Dr Mahathir had earlier this year teamed up with members of the Opposition for the Dr Mahathir-Lim Kit Siang declaration, which sought the removal of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Anwar Ibrahim, in his letter, urged PKR members to re-examine the objectives of the declaration and to think on whether it suited their original cause.