KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today extended an invitation to the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to join his "soon-to-be formed new government".
Anwar said Muhyiddin's participation in the new administration would ensure a smooth and peaceful change of government.
This is in relation to Anwar's announcement at noon today, where he claimed to possess a "strong, convincing and formidable" support from members of Parliament to form a government, which according to him meant that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government led by Muhyiddin has now collapsed.
"At the moment, with the numbers I have, Muhyiddin is no longer the prime minister. I welcome him to cooperate because I have no personal problems with him.
"His readiness to cooperate will help ensure a smooth and peaceful transition and if he is ready to cooperate, he can offer his services through any suitable position," he told a press conference today.
According to Anwar, he was granted an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah yesterday but the meeting had to be postponed as the King was receiving treatment at the National Heart Institute (IJN).
In late Feb this year, the elected Pakatan Harapan (PH) government was overthrown when some of its MPs joined forces with Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pas to form the current loose Perikatan Nasional administration.
Dubbed the "Sheraton Move", among the Pakatan Harapan MPs who sparked the coup d'état was Muhyiddin and International Trade Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, leading to some of them being branded as "traitors" by PH leaders.
Asked if what he is doing is akin to the Sheraton Move, Anwar, who held today's press conference at Le Meridien Hotel, here, responded in the negative saying he was simply trying to restore the elected PH government.
"This is not a backdoor government. This government has the mandate and support. Of course, it will be a Malay-Bumiputera majority government but it will be inclusive of all races and religions," he said.
On a question about whether some of the "traitors" would be part of the new government, Anwar said as of today, their names were not part of the list.