Mahathir Mohamad, the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia, was officially sworn in as its 7th Prime Minister on May 10 by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (monarch) at the Istana Negara.

While the headlines focused on the 92-year-old's remarkable comeback to the summit of Malaysian politics, it's worth to take a step back and consider the sacrifices made by his new allies in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, without whom he could not have won the election.

Mahathir and the Anwar family

The most famous and most unlikely reconciliation was between Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim, the de facto leader of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People's Justice Party or PKR).

Anwar was once Mahathir's protege. In fact, he served as his Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister during Mahathir's tenure as PM.

But they had a falling out in the late 1990s, after the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.

Anwar was jailed on charges of sodomy and graft, which his supporters have claimed was politically-motivated.

Anwar's time in prison was hard on his family, his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and his daughters Nurul Izzah and Nurul Nuha.

He was released in time to fight the 2013 general election, but was again charged with sodomy and began serving another prison sentence in 2015.

In 2016, after leaving UMNO, Mahathir met with Anwar for the first time in 18 years.

The two men agreed to work together formally with one aim in mind - to topple the BN government led by then-PM Najib Razak.

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Said PKR Secretary-General Saifuddin Ismail in Jan. 2018:

"It was not an easy decision for Anwar. I visited him on the day of the Pakatan Harapan convention to get his advice on moving forward.

I’m happy to share with you that there is no doubt Anwar is prepared to accept Mahathir. For Anwar, the future of Malaysia is most important."

In an interview with the BBC, Nurul Nuha said that Mahathir's attempt at reconciliation was hard to accept:

"On a personal level it's obviously very, very difficult. But we are trying to push that aside.

If my dad can accept such a travesty, the things that have been done to him, what can I do, as a daughter? It's about the future of Malaysia, a better place for my kids to grow up in."

Nurul Izzah, who won a parliamentary seat in the May 9 election, also said she could not reject Mahathir's offer of help.

In an interview with the Malaysian Insight before the election, she said:

"When I look at what Dr Mahathir has done, I truly feel that we cannot reject anyone who wants to be part of our reform agenda. We must have an open heart and an open mind."

Pardon for Anwar

Before the election, Mahathir pledged to secure a royal pardon for Anwar so that he could leave prison and resume his political work.

He also named Wan Azizah his candidate for Deputy Prime Minister.

Now that the election has been won, it seems that forgiving Mahathir was the right decision for the Anwar family. Wan Azizah is set to be the first female Deputy Prime Minister in Malaysia's history.

And Mahathir announced on May 11 that the Agong was willing to grant Anwar a full royal pardon.

He could be released within days, bringing the Mahathir-Anwar saga full circle.

Detention without trial

But Anwar is not the only politician who has a reason to bear a grudge against Mahathir in the PH coalition.

Political veterans Lim Kit Siang, former Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Mohamad "Mat" Sabu, leader of AMANAH, also ran afoul of Mahathir's first government.

In 1987, when Mahathir was PM, he sanctioned Ops Lalang in the name of national security. 119 people, including opposition politicians and social activists were rounded up and put in jail.

Lim was detained for 17 months in prison without trial, under the Internal Security Act, along with his son, Lim Guan Eng. They were only released in 1989.

Lim's DAP colleague - the late Karpal Singh and Mat Sabu have also been detained under the ISA.

The younger Lim was also jailed for another year for sedition in 1998, when Mahathir was still PM.

These men had to swallow any lingering feelings of justifiable resentment when Mahathir came calling.

But they did so, worked together for a common cause, and are now serving together as the key ministers in Mahathir's new cabinet.

Lim Guan Eng has been named as Malaysia's new Finance Minister, while Mat Sabu has been named as the Defence Minister, ensuring a high level of DAP and AMANAH representation in the new government.

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Mat Sabu during a campaign rally.

Forgiveness, the way forward

While Mahathir needed his former opponents, it's also fair to say that they needed him too.

After all, while the opposition put up a strong fight at the 2008 and 2013 GEs, they fell short of final victory.

It was perhaps Mahathir's appeal to the rural voters and the older generation who remember the economic progress made during his time as PM, that pushed the PH over the finish line for a historic win.

Without allowing Mahathir to join PH and campaign tirelessly, speaking to masses of Malaysian voters, it's doubtful that PH could have won.

But they set aside their personal feelings to work with the wily old veteran, and he delivered as promised.

Top image from Mahathir Mohamad's Facebook page.