KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 (Sin Chew Daily) — Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is still hopeful he could overturn Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin by way of a no-confidence motion tabled in the Dewan Rakyat. The motion is scheduled in the July sitting.

"We hope that we can overturn Muhyiddin through the no-confidence motion. But we may fail. This motion is extremely important to us because we want to expose the errors committed by Muhyiddin."

Dr Mahathir said if the Speaker did not allow the motion to be debated and given a chance to vote, the opposition would not give up. The opposition would topple Muhyiddin by not supporting the 2021 Budget.

"We will try our best not to support the 2021 Budget. We will explain the reasons," he said.

Dr Mahathir is frank that he is unable to have the confidence to overturn Muhyiddin by a no-confidence motion. But the opposition parties would.

"Many believe that our target is to topple him. Many are unhappy with Muhyiddin. His financial management is poor. People are jobless. People have not been approached. These are the complaints we have received.

"We hope the public sentiment can influence the MPs by not supporting Muhyiddin in the Parliament. I am worried that they may lose in the coming elections."

Dr Mahathir denied that he met up with Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali in Langkawi. 

"No. The meeting is not true. I was in Langkawi. I have not visited Langkawi for a long time. I met some of the party members but I did not meet Hishammuddin and Azmin."

"They did not request. If they made the request I would meet them. Since they did not request, why should I see them?"

Dr Mahathir also said that since the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government, he did not meet Azmin.

Earlier, a photograph of Dr Mahathir's political secretary Abu Bakar and Hishammuddin had tea together was circulated in the social media with speculations that Dr Mahathir and Hishammuddin met.

On sources that PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim revealed Dr Mahathir met PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang and former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali amidst negotiation with Pakatan Harapan on Prime Minister candidate during a briefing for party members, Dr Mahathir replied: " I meet all the people who want to meet. I do not meet one person – former Prime Minister Najib Razak."

"After the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government, I do not meet Najib but others. I met up with Umno president Ahmad Zahid. I met all those who requested to see me. I listened to them then I made my own decision. 

I do not reject those who want to see me, including the media."