Dr M says many better candidates, but Muhyiddin still best for PM job

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says while there are many better qualified to replace Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister, the tradition is to choose the current deputy prime minister in the event Najib resigns. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, April 30, 2015.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today there are others who are "better qualified" than Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to take over, should Datuk Seri Najib Razak decide to step down.

However, Dr Mahathir said that while there might be others better suited for the job, it was better to stick with the deputy prime minister for the sake of stability in the party.

"I don't want to be offensive to anybody but according to the Umno tradition, the successor to the prime minister is the deputy prime minister," Dr Mahathir said after a dialogue with Universiti Sains Malaysia students in Penang this morning.

The prime minister and his deputy are also the president and deputy president of Umno, the lynchpin party in the Barisan Nasional coalition.

"There may be others who may be considered more qualified but it is better to follow the tradition. It will also avoid disrupting the party too much," he said, when asked who he thought should replace Najib.

Dr Mahathir had urged Najib to resign to save BN and Umno from losing the next general election.

He was also asked about Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as the next prime minister.

"That is up to Umno to decide, but don't do it like the election for the Umno supreme council," he said.

He said there were fewer members able to decide on who could sit on the council, as only some 200 divisions, and not individual delegates, could vote.

"Don't do it like that. It is not good," he said.

On the suggestion of limiting the term of government office bearers, including the prime minister, Dr Mahathir said a prime minister must be given enough time to implement and assess his administration's policies.

Recently, former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said Dr Mahathir should name Razaleigh, better known as Ku Li, as the next prime minister.

Zaid said Razaleigh would have a great impact on Malaysians and will be able to lay new foundations for the country.

He said Razaleigh also had core qualities not present in the current crop of top Umno leaders such as his ability to empathise with the plight of ordinary citizens, as well as to eradicate extremism and unite all Malaysians.

- TMI