We're still backing Anwar but can wait 6 months - DAP and Amanah

DAP and Amanah have reiterated their support for Pakatan Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim to be prime minister but also repeated their belief that given the current situation, the best tactical move would be to allow for a six-month transition period.

This came after PKR president Anwar said Harapan was still intact despite hurtful remarks and two of its allies supporting Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the next prime minister in the event that Harapan Plus takes over Putrajaya.

"We have been consistently supporting Anwar as the prime minister since 1998 and will continue to do so," said DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu in a joint statement today.

They, however, stressed the need to combine the strength of PKR, Amanah and DAP in Harapan, as well as Warisan and Mahathir's Bersatu even if they could not fully agree with each other.

"This political journey has taken 22 years, we can afford to wait another six months to see Anwar installed as the 10th prime minister.

"The six months transition shall be documented in writing, signed by all party leaders and publicly announced," they said.

"They must try to find a common ground to reclaim the electoral mandate granted by the rakyat in the 2018 general election.

"We hope PKR and Mahathir together with Warisan will not drift further apart but instead continue to move closer together.

"Seeing each other as rivals instead of allies will not help the rakyat’s cause and only aid those who successfully deposed an elected government with an unelected one," the pair added.

Lim and Mohamad said it was unfair to label them as power crazy in their efforts to find the best way to reclaim Putrajaya.

"This is unfair because while we are not afraid to be in opposition, the rakyat voted for us in 2018 to be the government.

"This is a sacred mission to uphold democracy and the value of the millions of Malaysians who voted for a change of government to get rid of a corrupt and kleptocratic administration involving tens of billions of US dollars," they added.

They said Harapan Plus would also mobilise their party machinery to prepare for the possibility of a snap general election and work together with all political parties opposed to the Perikatan Nasional government.

The impasse over the opposition bloc’s prime minister candidate has spilled over into public tiffs and differing stances among Harapan leaders.

Last Friday, DAP's Anthony Loke and Amanah's Khalid Samad released a statement stating Anwar failed to secure support from GPS in order to retake Putrajaya.

The duo also said they were puzzled by PKR's refusal to back Mahathir as a prime minister candidate, claiming the party had agreed to it during a Harapan meeting on May 30.

DAP and Amanah are in favour of Mahathir having a third stint as the prime minister for six months with Anwar as his deputy. 

Mahathir's allies have argued that he was more palatable to the East Malaysian bloc, which is instrumental in the formation of any majority.

However, PKR has refused to accept this. - Mkini