The Pakatan Harapan presidential council is expected to address the transition of power between Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim tomorrow.
However, Bersatu supreme council member Rais Yatim hinted that things might not proceed as planned.
Adding more intrigue to the protracted issue, he said: “Something may happen before November.”
Mahathir has repeatedly said he would step down after the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in November.
Despite this, Rais noted how certain quarters were still pressuring the 94-year-old premier to set a specific date for his retirement.
“News about cornering Tun M (Mahathir) to give a definitive date of goodbye to his premiership is hounding all,” he tweeted this afternoon.
“By saying November 2020 seems not good enough to other PH (Harapan) prefects.
“Something may happen before November. The prefects may not know what hit them then. There are other powers and factors at work,” he added.
RAISYATIM@DrRaisYatimNews abt cornering TunM to give a definitive date of good bye to his premiership is hounding all. By saying November 2020 seems not good enough to other PH prefects.Something may happen b4 Nov.The prefects may not know what hit them then. There’re other powers and factors at work
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Recently, Mahathir said he would keep his promise to pass the baton to Anwar but pointed out that the Dewan Rakyat had the final word on who should helm the nation.
Some observers saw this as an indication that the PKR president did not possess the support of the members of the Lower House.
PAS is planning to table a vote of confidence when the Parliament sitting resumes next month for Mahathir to remain in office until his term expires.
There are also claims that MPs from both sides of the political divide, including Anwar’s rivals in PKR, are signing a statutory declaration in support of Mahathir.
Anwar himself confirmed the existence of a plot to keep Mahathir in power but said the latter was not involved.
Two decades ago, Mahathir, during his first tenure as prime minister, had sacked Anwar as his deputy based on accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power.
Anwar, who claimed that the charges were fabricated, took to the streets in protest and ushered in the Reformasi movement, which laid the foundation for the formation of PKR and the now ruling Pakatan Harapan alliance.
Speaking at a forum last week, PKR’s William Leong (photo) urged the people to ensure Anwar is not denied the premiership again.
The Selayang MP said the time has come to execute “Plan B“ to ensure Anwar is made the next prime minister.
“The voice of the people is important. We want their views as it would pressure the government to get back on the right track.
“We have taken to the streets before. But I am not asking them to go to the ground, but we want that sort of determination,” he added.
Expectations high but Pakatan meeting could end in status quo
Malaysians are anticipating tomorrow’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) presidential council meeting in the hopes of getting clarity about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s power transition.
They want to know whether Dr Mahathir will name PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as his successor. The issue has taken a toll on the ruling coalition that still must deliver on its election pledges.
PH has been in disarray since winning the general election and appears rudderless. The transition issue has worsened this. One faction wants Dr Mahathir to stay and another wants him to hand over power to Anwar this year.
The disagreement has threatened to split the coalition but every time it neared a crisis, tensions subsided.
The latest development is Opposition party PAS’s plan to table a motion of confidence in the prime minister before Parliament, after the latter came under criticism from his own coalition.
PH leaders said PAS was obviously trying to divide the coalition.
The PAS move will force PH leaders critical of Dr Mahathir but unwilling to table a motion of no-confidence against him to show their true allegiance.
Many think Dr Mahathir is under extreme pressure to hand over his position to Anwar. He is expected to be pushed into attending the PH meeting tomorrow.
Others attending include Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Anwar, his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, Mohamed Sabu as president of Parti Amanah Nasional (Amanah) and Lim Guan Eng for DAP.
Malaysians expecting finality on the power transition tomorrow may not get it.
There will not be any signed document or written deadline for when Dr Mahathir must hand over the position, according to those who knew him during his previous stint as prime minister.
Dr Mahathir will not want to become a lame duck prime minister by signing any such agreement. This is because the civil service and business leaders would simply bide their time and wait for his successor to take over.
Secondly, Dr Mahathir will also not want to expressly name his successor even though PH has repeatedly said Anwar would inherit his post.
Dr Mahathir is expected to leave the matter for Parliament to decide.
In short, do not expect a bombshell tomorrow as Dr Mahathir is a leader who is “best in his fight when pushed”. MALAY MAIL
MKINI / MALAY MAIL
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