Conspiracy, ultimatum and concession at Harapan's 'last supper'

Battle lines are drawn in Bersatu as its chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad and president Muhyiddin Yassin make their case for their respective favoured coalition - Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional.

For Mahathir's camp, Muhyiddin's move to take Bersatu out of Harapan and into PN is a story of betrayal while for Muhyiddin's camp, it is a story of impatient partners pushing the party into a corner.

To further the latter's narrative, a Bersatu-linked Facebook page yesterday leaked a more than two-hour-long recording of the Pakatan Harapan last presidential council's last meeting as the government on Feb 21, claiming that it showed Bersatu's partners being "disrespectful" to Mahathir.

To the contrary, the discussion was respectful towards Mahathir, who remained silent for most of the two hours, but heated at times as leaders of the Harapan components argued over whether Mahathir should set a firm date...