PKR president and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is apparently open to offering a senior Cabinet position to former mentor-turned-foe-turned-frenemy Dr Mahathir Mohamad should Pakatan return to power. That senior post will be like the position given to late former Singapore PM Lee Kuan Yew when he eventually “retired” – that of “minister mentor”. 
 
In an interview with Singapore’s Channel News Asia, Anwar rejected the proposal for Maddey to return as PM for six months before handing the reins of the nation over to him as this would mean that there would be six months of not focusing on reform but arguing on when the proposed handover would take place. It was time to move on, he said.
 
And we can’t fault Anwar’s logic there. After all, Mahathir’s term as PM7 seemed to last longer than what was first envisioned and the transition between him and Anwar failed to take place. But we gotta say we don’t think giving Mads the title of “minister mentor” would be quite the same as LKY’s. Lee still had quite some influence when he assumed that mantle, some might even say he still called the shots in Singapore. In Mahathir’s case, it would definitely be a position of reduced power – or perhaps one of no power, if Anwar got his way.
 
And the ol’ politician knows it too. He flatly rejected the offer, saying that in the past, his advice to former PMs had fallen on deaf ears. Well, yeah. As the saying goes, advice is free, so you can either take it or leave it. Plus, you weren’t in any of their Cabinets. But, we understand where you’re coming from. 
 
The wily old fox, however, didn’t stop there. He then issued an ultimatum, saying he would stop his working relationship with PKR if the party continued to oppose his candidacy for the premiership. However, he will continue working with DAP and Amanah, the two other Pakatan components which continue to support him. 
 
What’s more, if the option for him to helm the nation for six months falls through, he would quit Pakatan Plus (the informal name for Pakatan and its allies, Warisan and the Bersatu faction led by Maddey). Maddey didn’t mention anything about Warisan, however, but it is likely he would work with the Sabah party as well, considering it has also come out in support of him. 
 
All this kinda reminds us of Looney Tunes. Specifically, we keep thinking of those many episodes where Bugs Bunny is taking the piss out of Daffy Duck, and a frustrated Daffy says: “Of course, you know this means war.” 
 
Should Mahathir continue to push through his bid, will that mean PKR will cut ties with the rest of Pakatan Plus, or vice versa? The suggestion has already been made, with DAP and Amanah having been accused of abandoning Anwar. 
 
But DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang has come out to say that it’s unfair to say the two parties have left Anwar by the wayside to rot. And, Amanah says the two parties will continue to mediate between Maddey and Brother Anwar in all this infighting, which by the way we have to stress will all come to absolute bupkis if Pakatan doesn’t take back Putrajaya. In fact, such nonsense may actually cause Pakatan to lose votes if it continues any longer. 

What’s clear is that Maddey has taken the nuclear option here, with his “Pick me or I quit” ultimatum. There’s no longer even a pretence of trying to work it out as both men jostle to be top dog. It’s also equally clear that for DAP, any vestigial loyalty to Anwar, coming from their long association, has been ditched in favour of the political calculation of the benefits of siding Mahathir. 

Even if they do officially work things out, has the relationship become so sour that the two men will never be able to trust each other enough to work together effectively?

Maybe the easiest way to solve this imbroglio is for Mahathir and Anwar to just duel to the death, Wild West style.