KUALA LUMPUR: A minority government would not be able to function as effectively as many might hope, as there would be objections from the opposition to its efforts, said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The Langkawi Member of Parliament explained that when such a government enters the Dewan Rakyat to pass a law, for example, its endeavours could easily be thwarted by the opposition.
"This means you can't even enact a law. So no, I cannot do that (lead a minority government) because a minority government cannot function. Every time you move something, they (opposition members) can always bring it down and oppose it," he said.
Dr Mahathir said this during an interview with BFM radio station this morning, on the reason why he did not remain in power last February to lead a minority government with Pakatan Harapan MPs.
Dr Mahathir served as Prime Minister twice; first from 1981 to 2003 and second, from 2018 to 2020. He resigned last year, claiming that he had lost the support of his party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
He said that he lost the ability to lead the government when his party members, including his former political secretary, moved a motion to reject him.
"They (Bersatu leaders) said we should bring PH down, but I said let's wait and see first if PH is actually doing anything wrong.
"I had never been rejected by my own party throughout my life. That was the first time when my political secretary moved a motion to reject me," he said.
When asked if he was guided by emotions when he resigned, Dr Mahathir responded in the negative, saying he was no longer the leader of Bersatu when his party stopped believing in him.
He was then asked on the reason why he did not join PKR after losing the support of Bersatu, to which he responded: "I can't join PKR because it is a multiracial party".
When asked if he disagrees with the concept of a multiracial party, Dr Mahathir clarified that his plan was to bring the Malays together so that they could support PH.
"If I hadn't formed Bersatu, the opposition (PH) as a multiracial (coalition) would not have won (the 14th general election). They tried many times and had lost.
"But when I brought in some Malays to support them, they finally won (in 2018)," he said.
Following Dr Mahathir's fallout with former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak due to, among others, the latter's 1MDB scandal, Dr Mahathir began rallying against his successor in 2015.
Dr Mahathir's cooperation with PH led to victory in the GE14, but the administration was short-lived after several of the coalition's MPs forged cooperation with Barisan Nasional MPs, allegedly behind his back, to form the current Perikatan Nasional government.