Malaysia’s de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday defended his one-time foe, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, saying he was no Robert Mugabe. Anwar endorsed a political compact spearheaded by Mahathir, as ruling party rebels and the opposition joined hands to fight against incumbent Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is embroiled in a corruption scandal. Mahathir will again run for the country’s top job, this time at the helm of an opposition coalition seeking to unseat the ruling party he led for 22 years and secure the leadership ultimately for Anwar Ibrahim.