Harapan agrees on a PM candidate, says Khalid Samad

Pakatan Harapan has agreed on a prime minister candidate should the coalition return to federal power, Amanah communications director Khalid Samad said.

“Yes, there have been (discussions). There is just one prime minister post so we have just one candidate. That person has been agreed on by all parties,” he said during a press conference at the Shah Alam parliamentary service centre today.

Khalid, who is the Shah Alam MP, said discussions are now focussed on ironing out the details after the accord was reached.

“Before (GE14), we were not sure we could win, so discussions were not detailed. Now we are confident of regaining power, so we are more prepared (in terms of early discussions.”

Khalid added that the discussions also went more smoothly as there are no longer any quarters holding “differing interpretations” over the issue of power succession between Mahathir and Anwar.

“Now, Harapan is better because the traitors are out. They, who have different perceptions such as not agreeing to the agreement that Anwar will take over from Mahathir, are gone.

“There is now a more specific agreement with the support of all parties,” he said.

However, Khalid did not name the new candidate.

Harapan’s less than two-year tenure in government had been bedevilled with uncertainty surrounding the succession of the premiership.

Many constantly questioned if then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad would honour an agreement to surrender the reins to PKR leader and former rival Anwar Ibrahim.

The Harapan government collapsed after Bersatu, former PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali and several other PKR lawmakers exited the coalition to form the new Perikatan Nasional (PN) government with Umno and PAS back in February. Mahathir, however, remains against PN.

Recently, Harapan, Mahathir and Warisan issued a joint statement challenging current Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's government which they said lacks legitimacy.

The opposition parties agreed to concentrate efforts to return the “people’s mandate” and wrestle back Putrajaya.

‘Too soon to talk of Harapan's return’

At the same time, Khalid today stressed that Harapan would use rule of law to return to power, including via a motion of no-confidence against Muhyiddin in Parliament.

“This is not a question of position but to return power to the government that had obtained the people’s mandate. On that, we cannot compromise.

“If Muhyiddin is a man of honour, the first thing he should do is prove he has the majority in Parliament,” he said.

He said this when asked on the no-confidence motion against Muhyiddin intended to be tabled by Mahathir during the last Dewan Rakyat session. However, Parliament only convened for a day, preventing the Langkawi MP’s motion from being heard.

Khalid added that Amanah fully backed the motion.

“It (no-confidence motion) is not just Mahathir’s personal stance. If he did not bring (the motion), we would table it,” he said.

Following the one-day House sitting, Muhyiddin was seen to command majority support based on lawmakers’ seating arrangements.

Even so, the Pagoh MP holds a wafer-thin two-seat majority.

Responding to Khalid’s statement, Selangor Bersatu information chief Sallehuddin Amiruddin said it was “too soon” to project the picture of Harapan returning to power and returning the people’s mandate.

“Learn from past mistakes as when the rakyat had given you the mandate, you all pushed the prime minister to set a handover date (to Anwar).

“(You did this) when you knew a large number of people wanted the government to focus on restoring the economy and returning an administration of integrity,” the Kuang assemblyperson said in a social media posting today. - Mkini