Stay together, Sarawak PKR urges after call to ditch PH

Cracks are appearing in Pakatan Harapan over the coalition’s choice of candidate for prime minister.

KUCHING: Sarawak PKR has disagreed with the call by a party leader in Selangor for PKR to ditch DAP and Amanah, its remaining partners in Pakatan Harapan (PH), over differences regarding the coalition’s choice of prime ministerial candidate.

Sarawak PKR chief Larry Sng said it was in the interest of all PH parties to work together in order to strengthen their bases and support their partners.

“If we decide to go alone, it would be a death sentence to any hope of bringing about meaningful change in the political landscape,” he told FMT.

Selangor PKR Youth secretary Ahmad Syukri Abd Razab said yesterday that PKR should leave DAP and Amanah as their leaders appeared to prefer Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the candidate for prime minister.

Larry Sng.

He also questioned those whom he said were “more comfortable” nominating the veteran statesman over his party president Anwar Ibrahim.

Syukri said those who were eager for Mahathir’s return had ignored objections from PKR when PH was in power by naming several anti-Anwar leaders to key Cabinet posts. The same people, he said, were now urging PKR to once again support Mahathir as prime minister.

“PKR should leave PH. Hand over PH to Amanah, DAP and the grandfather,” he said, in remarks which he later told FMT were made in his personal capacity.

But while the state-level PKR leadership is in favour of maintaining the coalition, there are some at the grassroots level who disagree.

When contacted, PKR Batang Lupar branch chief Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh said he agreed with Syukri’s view.

If DAP and Amanah still intended to work with PKR, he said, they should nominate Anwar as prime minister should PH return to federal power.

“We had an agreement that Anwar would be the next prime minister,” he said, adding that Mahathir could no longer be trusted.

The PH coalition, comprising PKR, Amanah and DAP, as well as Sabah-based Warisan and four MPs aligned with Mahathir, was supposed to announce its prime ministerial candidate on Tuesday in its campaign to return to federal power through a parliamentary vote of confidence.

FMT earlier reported that PH had agreed to propose Mahathir for the top post with Anwar as his deputy under a new “black and white” agreement.

However, the reported decision has not gone down well with Anwar’s supporters, who accuse Mahathir of breaking his promise to give up the post to the PKR president during PH’s 21-month rule. - FMT