KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said they do not recognise the government led by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as it was not mandated by the people.
In a joint statement issued to mark Pakatan Harapan's May 9 victory in the 14th General Election two years ago, Dr Mahathir and Anwar said they were firm in the stand from the day the new Perikatan Nasional government was formed, that it did not receive the mandate from the people.
"It stands without the mandate of the rakyat. It did not officially (obtain the people's mandate) as per the ballot papers in the general election. It was founded based solely on the greed for position and ranks. Moreover, none of the leaders of today's government have promised to serve the people.
"We are unwilling to surrender our morals and ethics to support the government of today. We do not want to betray the rakyat who had spent hours queuing at voting centres, (spent) hundreds of ringgits to fly home and vote and took unpaid leave to get their voices heard to change the fate of the country," said Dr Mahathir and Anwar.
They said that the people's mandate was betrayed, resulting in the PH coalition led by Dr Mahathir being overthrown in February just when the Covid-19 pandemic plagued the country.
Muhyiddin's government, they claimed, was willing to do anything to accumulate power, adding that big positions had been given out while power and ranks continued to be desired.
Dr Mahathir and Anwar are Langkawi and Port Dickson members of parliament respectively.
Two years ago, Dr Mahathir and Anwar said, in order to steer the country in the right direction, they had put aside their differences, disputes and crisis and had relentlessly championed the people.
Both said their stance remained the same until today and they were still passionate about their struggles for the sake of the people.
"We are old and we do not have much time. However, the spirit of our struggle is still strong in the hearts of the young who dream of reform. The time has come for us to rise and strive to return the mandate to the rightful people.
"Let us not forget the sacred date of May 9, 2018. The date when the kleptocratic institution collapsed. The date of people's victory. The date Malaysia Baharu was born," they said.