Muhyiddin reportedly said that he has been in touch with Dr Mahathir through intermediaries.
“It seems that he is ready to see me … I said we can meet,” he was quoted as saying by FMT.
“If I am not mistaken, right now he is out of the country. So, I said after or before Hari Raya Haji, if he is free, I will see him.”
On Jun 7, Dr Mahathir announced that he would be meeting with Muhyiddin to discuss cooperation, after earlier stating that he is ready to work with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman.
Bersatu is a component party within PN.
“(Muhyiddin) has stated his position; he supports the (Malay Proclamation) and he is not against me. I am not against him either. These are all public knowledge,” he said.
When asked if the cooperation with PN would be permanent or only for the state elections, the 97-year-old said it will be discussed during the meeting with Muhyiddin.
“We will discuss. There is a possibility that we will compete in the state polls if we find that it is the wishes of the public,” he said.
In 2016, Dr Mahathir and Muhyiddin formed Bersatu. Dr Mahathir was appointed chairman while Muhyiddin became president of the party.
Bersatu then worked with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition in the 14th General Election in 2018 and ousted Barisan Nasional from government.
However, Dr Mahathir was removed from Bersatu following a political manoeuvre known as the Sheraton Move in 2020 when a number of Members of Parliament (MPs) defected from the ruling PH coalition.
This triggered the collapse of the short-lived PH government led by Dr Mahathir, paving the way for Muhyiddin to take up the mantle as Malaysia’s next prime minister.