Analyst sees Anwar as short-term PM if Dr M delays handover

Under a Pakatan Harapan agreement, Dr Mahathir Mohamad is to hand over power to Anwar Ibrahim at an unspecified date.

PETALING JAYA: A political analyst foresees PKR president Anwar Ibrahim having trouble holding on to power as prime minister if Dr Mahathir Mohamad waits too long to hand over the post to him.

Speaking to FMT, Azmi Hassan of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Anwar would need some time to strengthen Pakatan Harapan (PH) and the Putrajaya administration with his supporters and it might be too late if he were to become prime minister too close to the 15th general election.

“He may not have enough time to do what he needs or wants to do to get the same results as Mahathir did in GE14,” he said. “His chances of remaining as PM will then be very slim.”

He said Anwar should now push for a specific date for the transfer of power. Otherwise, he added, more PH leaders were likely to echo PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali’s call for Mahathir to stay on for a full term.

Observers believe that Azmin leads a PKR camp opposed to Anwar. He recently said Mahathir was still needed as prime minister to ensure “stability, continuity and consistency” in the government’s efforts to attract investors and create jobs.

Under an agreement struck by PH leaders, Mahathir is to hand over power to Anwar at an unspecified date.

Another analyst, Kamarul Zaman Yusoff of Universiti Utara Malaysia, disagreed with Azmi, saying Anwar should not be too pushy.

He noted a statement Anwar made last February that he expected to be PM in not more than two years.

“Only after the two years have passed will it be reasonable for him and other PKR leaders to openly ask for the transfer of power,” he said.

He also said he didn’t believe Anwar’s takeover of power close to GE15 would affect his chances of holding on to it after the election.

“Mahathir said he wanted to resolve economic problems first before handing power over to Anwar,” he noted. “So if this happens, Anwar can ride on it.

“If the country is still in a mess when he takes over, he can blame it on Mahathir and make new promises to the voters.” - FMT