In a letter dated May 7, Wahid had criticised the abolition of the GST, prompting a response from former finance minister Daim Zainuddin the following day.

The source told FMT that Wahid’s move to defend the GST had put him on the wrong side of the current administration.

“He may be asked to leave because of his stand on the way the country should be run. Wahid feels that without GST, the country may face other problems,” the source said.

Another source said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had no problems with Wahid except on the way the economy should be run.

In his letter, Wahid said abolishing the GST would leave the government with three options that could hurt the country’s economy.

The former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said these options were: raising income tax or introducing a new tax such as a capital gains tax; increasing the country’s fiscal deficit to 5%; or reducing spending including development expenditure.

Daim had responded by saying Pakatan Harapan (PH) would bring in experts to advise it if it took over Putrajaya in the general election.

He added that Wahid should stick to his job at PNB and leave running the economy to the new government.

Daim, who now heads the advisory Council of Eminent Persons, also said proper economical planning was important so that the people would not suffer.