Dzulkefly: Anwar is Harapan PM candidate, Dr M can be senior minister

 

Amanah strategic director Dzulkefly Ahmad said while it is clear that PKR president Anwar Ibrahim should be Pakatan Harapan's prime ministerial candidate in the next general election, a role could be found for former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad as senior minister.

Dzulkefly proposed this as a compromise to how forces opposed to the Perikatan National (PN) administration of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin could team up.

"Mahathir can be a mentor minister or senior minister if he still wants to play a role in Harapan and this could be a win-win formula for GE15 (15th general election),” Dzulkefly told The Malaysian Insight.

“As it is, Harapan is very clear that its prime ministerial candidate for GE15 will be Anwar," he said.

The Kuala Selangor MP emphasised that the idea of Mahathir as a temporary prime minister did not arise anymore although he can play a role if he wants if the coalition is triumphant.

Anwar's supporters are furious with Mahathir who tried to form a unity government that cut across party lines, in direct contravention of his initial promise to hand over the premiership to Anwar.

The machinations of this unity government move led to the collapse of the Harapan administration in which Dzulkefly served as health minister.

Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim

Dzulkefly said that Harapan won GE14 because of the three-cornered situation where now allies PAS and BN ran against each other.

The coalition now needs to move on from the impasse as Harapan can only win if there is a “grand alignment” that would involve getting all opposition parties on the same page, he added.

“Harapan and the other opposition parties such as Warisan, Pejuang and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) must have the same goals," he said.

Dzulkefly opined that merely relying on the government's weaknesses would not be enough.

"Our strategy must be based on our strengths, and we cannot take it for granted that PN, BN or Muafakat Nasional will break up before GE15.

“We are bound by a vision to see a more inclusive Malaysia, where there is no ‘ketuanan’ (supremacy) or narrow race discrimination issues.

"Harapan must have the same goals, and a clarity of purpose and vision, unlike its opponents," he said. - Mkini