PKR leader and prime minister hopeful Anwar Ibrahim can wait another six months to take up the highest elected office in the country, said DAP and Amanah after Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its allies opted for Dr Mahathir Mohamad as its prime minister candidate again.
Mahathir was the country’s eighth prime minister after he helped PH rout Barisan Nasional at the 14th general election in 2018.
“Based on the current political scenario, the only realistic option of success is to combine the strength of all 5 parties of PKR, Amanah and DAP in PH as well as Warisan and Tun’s Bersatu,” DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu said in a joint statement today.
At the PH presidential council meeting on May 30, two permutations for the prime minister-deputy prime minister posts were on the table. The first was Anwar and former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir. The second was Mahathir and Anwar.
According to PH Plus, a loose coalition consisting of PH and Mahathir’s men as well as Sabah-based Warisan, the second option garnered more votes. PKR has rejected the proposal and said it stood by Anwar.
Lim and Mohamad said their support for Anwar had never wavered and affirmed the decision to ensure the transition plan was in writing.
“This political journey has taken 22 years, we can afford to wait another six months to see Datuk Seri Anwar installed as the 10th prime minister of Malaysia. The six months transition shall be documented in writing, signed by all party leaders and publicly announced,” they said.
The duo also noted that, even though Mahathir, Warisan and PKR cannot agree with each other, a common ground must be found to “reclaim the electoral mandate” of GE14.
“This is a sacred mission to uphold democracy and the value of the millions of Malaysians who voted for a change of government to get rid of a corrupt and kleptocratic administration involving tens of billions of US dollars,” they said.
Lim and Mohamad also called for no transactional deals with the principal ringleaders who they labelled as “responsible for deposing an elected PH government and bringing in an unelected Perikatan Nasional (PN) government,” claiming that PH voters would never forgive them for betraying their trust.
They said the pact was also ready to mobilise the party machinery in the event of snap general elections, and that they will work together with all political parties opposed to the PN government. – June 22, 2020
