Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily

Judging from recent developments as well as remarks made by PH leaders, it is very likely for the Feb 21 PH presidential council meeting to strike a new accord on the handover issue. The thing is, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has already given in.

After learning that PAS, Umno and some PKR MPs had signed a statutory declaration to support Mahathir to complete his full term as PM, Anwar rushed back from Port Dickson to Putrajaya last Thursday to meet Tun M, and said later in a statement that he supported Mahathir's continued leadership and that he would only take over the baton after the November APEC summit.

The following day, Tun M reiterated that he would honor his promise to resign after November and said Anwar's statement was correct.

On Feb 15, Anwar urged all quarters to stop forcing Tun M to resign, adding that PH already had a consensus on the handover issue. Apparently Anwar was giving an instruction to his people to stop pressing the prime minister to resign so that the presidential council meeting could be held in an amicable atmosphere.

Mahathir's recent remarks show that he is not prepared to give up the PH ruling platform. For example, he praised the health ministry's effective measures in containing the spread of coronavirus. If he were about to abandon the ship, why would he praise health minster Dzulkefly Ahmad from Amanah and his deputy Lee Boon Chye from PKR?

Besides, the PM will unveil the economic stimulus package on Feb 27. If the ruling coalition is about to go bust, we will not see stimulus plan of any sort to boost the economy.

Not everyone close to the PM or from his party PPBM agree to the formation of Pakatan Nasional with Umno and PAS. For instance, his son Mukhriz could not understand why PAS with only 18 elected reps could table a private member's bill to support Mahathir's full term in office. In the meantime, PPBM supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan has also said PH has reached an agreement on the handover issue.

Media and communications adviser at the PM's office Kadir Jasin said Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was not the best person to negotiate anything with the prime minister given the fact he was facing more than 30 counts of corruption charges, while former Council of Eminent Persons chairman Daim Zainuddin said it was "unhealthy" to form a new political pact as it would betray voters' mandate.

PPBM will have a hefty price to pay if it were to form a new alliance with Umno and PAS. New Straits Times has reported that PPBM would have to give up the MB posts for Kedah and Perak if the three parties were to form Pakatan Nasional while some Umno MPs would demand ministerial or senatorial posts as well.

Moreover, Mahathir's administrative philosophies may not go well with Umno and PAS. He used to stop PAS from implementing hudud in Kelantan in the 1990s. He even slammed Kelantan Umno in April 2015 for supporting the implementation of hudud in the state. This shows that Mahathir will not accept PAS' theocratic advocacy.

Mahathir wants to see the Malays improve and command the latest technology, hence his insistence in reinstating PPSMI. On the other hand, PAS is all for religion only, and a forced marriage between the two sides will only lead to a divorce in the long run.

Moreover, Mahathir will not accept corruption-tainted Umno leaders, as this will contravene his position in toppling the previous kleptocratic administration.

With so many hurdles along the way in a cooperation with Umno-PAS, it appears that Tun M has very likely made use of the opposition to mitigate the pressure for him to resign. He is well aware that Umno badly needs the power to clear its leaders of corruption charges while PAS president Hadi Awang is strongly against Anwar Ibrahim as PM.

Now that this objective has been met, sure enough plans for a Pakatan Nasional are killed prematurely by him.

If an agreement is eventually reached in the PH presidential council meeting on the handover issue, PAS' intention of tabling a confidence vote for PM next month will become irrelevant.

PAS is so fervent in supporting Mahathir's full term in order to advance its own wicked motives of dividing PH and bagging benefits from its Malay support base.

Meanwhile, Umno is not too happy with PAS' lukewarm treatment of Muafakat Nasional. Similarly, both Najib and Ahmad Zahid hold very different views on the rumored new pact, meaning a crack within Umno may ensue as a consequence.

Where political tactic is concerned, no doubt Tun M has the upper hand. He has not only managed to get Anwar to back down but also to take Umno and PAS for a ride!

Mahathir will try to maximize his time to get more Malay support for his PPBM in order to check the advances of Umno-PAS.

That said, power game will only satiate the desires of one man and will not resolve the many problems encountered by the rakyat. There are still plenty of challenges ahead, in particular the sluggish economy. Addressing the people's woes is what every political leader is obliged to do.