PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang (photo, above) said his party and Umno will work to keep Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister for the full term.

This was despite a Pakatan Harapan consensus for Mahathir to eventually handover power to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim before the end of his term.

Hadi said Mahathir's Malay Muslim party Bersatu must be defended because other multi-racial parties in Harapan did not have the "characteristics of Islamic leadership", according to Harakahdaily.