KUALA LUMPUR — Barely two years after Barisan Nasional (BN) was voted out, Malaysians will be watching to see if the former ruling coalition has slipped back into power without a single ballot.

After a day of unexpected meetings among the parties implicated in a plot to form a new government, speculation was intense that a replacement for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government would be announced on Sunday (Feb 23) night.

However, an aide to Malaysia's Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said none would be made, forcing Malaysians to endure at least another day of suspense.

At noon on Monday, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled for an audience with the King of Malaysia, who already met on Sunday with the leaders of six political parties believed to form this new and still-unnamed coalition.

Mr Anwar’s political secretary, Mr Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak, told Malay Mail on Sunday night that the meeting had been scheduled prior to yesterday’s developments and is meant to update the King on political developments.

However, the PKR president will likely be forced to address Sunday's events, which he categorised as a “betrayal”.

All across Sunday, the political parties of Bersatu, Umno, PAS, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Parti Warisan Sabah, and the PKR faction aligned with Datuk Seri Azmin Ali gathered for furtive meetings that each tried to play down as “normal”.

Despite open speculation that the PH government was about to collapse and be replaced by a new alliance of ruling and opposition parties, no government leader or representative has come out to deny this and calm the nation.

Instead, the personalities involved have chosen to play coy about the true reason for their gatherings, attempting to pass off their meeting with fierce opponents as casual encounters.

While Mr Anwar described the betrayal as complete on Sunday night, it is still unclear if the parties in the purported plot have the numbers to replace Pakatan Harapan.

The coalition and its partner Warisan squeaked into power in 2018 with 121 seats, but has steadily added to this by recruiting lawmakers from Opposition parties — primarily Umno — to bring its representation in Parliament to 139.

However, most joined Bersatu and the departure of its 26 MPs and and Warisan’s nine is certain to undo the government as this would leave PKR, DAP and Amanah with just 104 seats — short of the 112 needed to continue with a simple majority.

This is also before accounting for PKR MPs from Datuk Seri Azmin Ali’s so-called cartel, who are expected to join the new coalition.

The allegiances of Warisan and GPS are still undeclared, although leaders of both attended a peculiar meeting in Kuala Lumpur at the same as a hurriedly convened Umno supreme council meeting.

Without their support, the purported coalition government will be stillborn.

Through it all, Dr Mahathir has been silent. He refused to either confirm or quash the furious speculation, leaving others to fill in the gaps still left in Malaysians’ imaginations.

He departed after chairing the Bersatu supreme council meeting — which his son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, categorised as “normal” — and remained at home on Sunday, while political foes turned temporary allies attended a dinner at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya.

On the Internet, PH supporters lashed out at the betrayal and accused the leaders involved of putting themselves before the country.

Mr Azmin came in for the brunt of the abuse. He was accused of negating the efforts and sacrifices of all those who toiled to defeat BN in 2018.

Others held on to hope that the rumours and speculation would ultimately prove to be wrong, but Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa believed that there was no return from yesterday’s events. MALAY MAIL