He said Dr Mahathir’s recent court visit to meet PKR de facto leader Anwar was further evidence of his desperation and that his “selfish political agenda” had failed.

Dr Mahathir had met Anwar last Monday at the Kuala Lumpur High Court at the hearing of Anwar’s application to nullify the National Security Council Act.

“I cannot blame Mahathir for this last desperate move,” Tengku Sariffuddin said. “What other option did he have, after the credibility of the president of his new party was destroyed by the Niki Gee court statutory declaration.

“This rendered Muhyiddin a lame duck president overnight, ineffective even as caretaker for Mahathir’s son Mukhriz Mahathir,” Tengku Sariffuddin said.

Muhyiddin is pro-tem president of Dr Mahathir’s recently formed Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia. Dr Mahathir is the pro-tem chairman.

Tengku Sariffuddin said the Mahathir-Anwar meeting also demonstrated that Muhyiddin would have to “play second fiddle” to Anwar in Dr Mahathir’s alliance with the opposition.

He said Muhyiddin was now number two in Dr Mahathir’s party and, therefore, “a puppet president having to obey all the commands of a known control freak”.

“But on top of this humiliation, Tan Sri Muhyiddin’s political future is now dependent on Datuk Seri Anwar, as it will be he that says yes or no to Dr Mahathir’s pleadings. So Tan Sri Muhyiddin is now subservient to Datuk Seri Anwar. ”

He said Muhyiddin’s disloyalty to the party and government has been repaid by natural justice. “What a difference a year makes,” he said.

Mahathir sacked Anwar in 1998 as the deputy prime minister. Anwar was also expelled from Umno and later charged with corruption and separately with sodomy. He was sentenced to six years jail in 1999 on four counts of corruption. He was released on Sept 2, 2004, after almost six years in prison when the Federal Court allowed his appeal against conviction for sodomy.

He is serving a five-year jail term on another sodomy conviction.