KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 (Sin Chew Daily) – A PKR leader who prefers anonymity told Sin Chew Daily the party's president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim indeed had a telephone conversation with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said Anwar told the party's supreme council meeting on May 29 that Dr Mahathir had called him the day before, but he did not elaborate on the content of the phone conversation.

When contacted, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air's Datuk Marzuki Yahya confirmed that Anwar had called Mahathir.

"It was during Hari Raya. They were sending greetings to each other. What I know is that Anwar asked Mahathir's views on how to fight the pandemic."

He nevertheless did not want to speculate on the reason Yang di-Pertuan Agong had granted audience to leaders of political parties although be believed it was not a platform for party leaders to state whom they support as the country's prime minister.

"Pejuang has never discussed the issue of working with PKR or PH."

Meanwhile, another PKR leader said he believed the King wanted to listen to the suggestions of party leaders on how to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

He believed if the PN government is unable to contain the pandemic even with the emergency decree, then His Majesty might consider exercising his constitutional right to set up a National Operations Council or MAGERAN (as in 1969) to take over the government's operation.

"His Majesty can appoint anyone, not necessarily the prime minister, as the MAGERAN chairman, just like Tun Abdul Razak in 1969, and not the then prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman.

"Another option is to form a coalition government which will include opposition lawmakers in the cabinet, but Pakatan Harapan is not supportive of such an option."

As for Umno, the party's position is to dissolve the parliament to pave way for a general election, and will not support any coalition government.