Not the ‘annoying’ Mahathir again as PM, says pro-Anwar group

Otai Reformis spokesman Abdul Razak Ismail.

PETALING JAYA: A pro-Anwar Ibrahim group has renewed its condemnation of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, describing the former leader as “annoying” and warning the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition against supporting his return as prime minister.

Otai Reformis, a vocal PKR-linked outfit comprising those who joined Anwar’s reformasi movement in the late 1990s, said PH should reject any move to name Mahathir as prime minister in its bid to return to Putrajaya, urging it to instead back the PKR president for the top post.

“Mahathir’s character is annoying. The PH leadership may be seeking ministerial posts and, without thinking, prepared to give Mahathir the prime minister’s post,” the group’s spokesman Abdul Razak Ismail told FMT in an apparent response to speculation that PH is planning to re-name Mahathir as its prime ministerial candidate to gather support from MPs in the Dewan Rakyat.

Razak said Anwar was the most suitable person to lead the government.

“This is the time for Mahathir to fulfil his promise of giving the post to Anwar, instead of appealing for sympathy from PH leaders for an opportunity to be prime minister for six months.”

Top PH leaders recently met with Mahathir at the PKR office, as the coalition seeks to return to power after its collapse early this year.

Mahathir’s resignation in February which brought down the 22-month-old government was followed by PPBM’s exit from PH and the emergence of a new coalition formed by Muhyiddin Yassin together with Barisan Nasional, GPS and PAS.

Mahathir has since said he is still with PH, with the coalition claiming it has the majority support of MPs.

Razak said PH leaders should have realised that Mahathir was not someone they could trust as he had many times refused to step down to make way for Anwar, as promised by PH in the run-up to the 2018 general election.

“What guarantee is there that Mahathir will not abruptly resign again and cause the PH ministers to be booted out of government for the second time?” he asked. - FMT