PETALING JAYA: Ahead of the 15th General Election, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has been given full mandate by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia to negotiate potential cooperation with other parties.

       Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said this was decided during the party’s supreme council meeting chaired by Muhyiddin on Tuesday.

       “The council has decided to give full mandate to the political bureau, chaired by the president, to discuss the party’s strategy in facing the coming polls together with other political parties,” he said in a statement.

       Hamzah also said the supreme council had discussed other issues regarding party management, current political developments and the outcome of the recent Johor state election.

       Perikatan Nasional, which also consists of PAS, Gerakan, Sabah STAR and Sabah Progressive Party, only managed to win three seats out of the 56 it contested.

       In the Melaka state election last year, Perikatan only won two out of the 28 seats it contested.

       Last week, several party leaders had confirmed meeting Muhyiddin following the Johor polls on March 12.

       Parti Pejuang Tanah Air chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed that Muhyiddin wanted their support to be prime minister once again but the Langkawi MP rejected his proposal.

       Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayshal Wan Ahmad Kamal later said it was Dr Mahathir who wanted to meet Muhyiddin and that an emissary was sent by Pejuang to reach out to them.

       Following this, Muhyiddin clarified that his meeting with Dr Mahathir was part of an initiative to explore possible avenues of cooperation ahead of GE15 but no final decision had been reached.

       The Bersatu president also said after the Johor polls concluded, he was approached by leaders of several political parties.

       PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim confirmed that he met Muhyiddin several times but never discussed political cooperation or support for him to be prime minister again.

       On April 3, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara was quoted as saying that they rejected any form of cooperation with Perikatan, given Muhyiddin’s role in the “Sheraton Move” that ended Pakatan Harapan’s 22-month administration.

       The week-long political impasse saw the exit of Bersatu and 11 PKR MPs in February, triggering the collapse of the Pakatan government.

       Bersatu and the former PKR MPs then went on to form the Perikatan government, led by Muhyiddin.

       After managing the Federal Government for 17 months, Muhyiddin was forced to resign when Umno withdrew support for him.

       Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob succeeded him as the ninth Prime Minister in August last year.