LETTER | The news for the past month has been the scheming for Pakatan Harapan Plus to happen with the most crucial question being who would be the ninth prime minister. DAP and Amanah, hereinafter referred to as Core Harapan, opted to support former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad with PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim as deputy.

I am sure much discussion and deliberation must have gone on before Core Harapan came to this decision. I am sure that Core Harapan sincerely thought that this is the only way Harapan Plus can happen as Warisan will support only Mahathir and not Anwar. The fact of the matter is that the leader of Warisan had taken a triple oath never to support Anwar.

The conditional six months for Mahathir as the ninth prime minister is supposed to be followed by Anwar. However, given the stated view of Warisan, this is unlikely to happen. What makes Anwar miraculously acceptable to Warisan after six months? A triple oath is a triple oath and a reasonable man will expect Warisan to withdraw, leading to the collapse of Harapan Plus and the inevitable GE15.

Harapan Plus will allow Mahathir another six months to wreak havoc in his own inimitable way, riding roughshod over his coalition partners while he continues his own agenda without nary a thought to the GE14 manifesto. We cannot forget nor forgive how Mahathir had single-handedly sabotaged the entire Harapan government and killed our aspirations for a New Malaysia.

I urge the leaders of Core Harapan to read "22 reasons why Mahathir cannot be the next PM" by P Gunasegaram. Believe me, there are more reasons than that by Gunasegaram. Also read "A prime minister for six months?" by Dennis Ignatius. 

When Harapan happened two years ago with Mahathir at the helm, it was like Core Harapan and PKR allowing the Bersatu tail to wag the dog. Now, for Harapan Plus, Core Harapan is allowing the Warisan tail to wag the dog. Surely people learn from their mistakes.

Cheated once by Mahathir, shame on him. Cheated twice by Mahathir, shame on DAP and Amanah.

If having Mahathir back as prime minister is the only way for Harapan Plus to happen, I would rather Core Harapan remain in the opposition.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.