Umno ministers insist Kit Siang will be next PM

It is natural for DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang to be the next prime minister or decide the next premier candidate if Pakatan Harapan wins in the coming general election.

This is because DAP has the largest number of parliamentary seats in the opposition coalition, said Umno minister Salleh Said Keruak in his blog today.

He rebutted Lim's assertion on Oct 8 that he never had ambitions to become prime minister of the country - and he does not expect to see a non-Malay prime minister in this century.

"He cannot hide the fact that he is the de facto DAP leader and that DAP, with the largest number of seats, calls the shots in Harapan," said the Umno treasurer.

"That means he gets to decide who becomes the prime minister if Harapan wins GE14 and being the de facto leader of the party with the largest number of seats the natural choice for prime minister would be Kit Siang himself," he elaborated.

Lim (photo) had cleverly outmaneuvered Anwar Ibrahim from the top post and has been successfully using Dr Mahathir Mohamad to camouflage his political intentions, according to the communications and multimedia minister.

"That is why Mahathir is very sensitive about the matter, and every time somebody talks about Kit Siang becoming prime minister, he will be the first person to come forward to refute the allegation and defend Kit Siang," he said.

He said Lim was the one who decided the closing down of Pakatan Rakyat and cut ties with PAS even though PKR did not want it.

"Pakatan’s history is full of examples where Kit Siang and not Pakatan decides what happens," he said.

"This is going to be repeated in the case of who becomes prime minister if Pakatan wins the general election. Pakatan’s track record speaks for itself," he added.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan also believes Lim would be the next premier if Harapan were to take Putrajaya.

"Lim Kit Siang will be the next prime minister, not Tun Dr Mahathir as Lim Kit Siang is always suggesting," Channel News Asia (CNA), quoted him as saying.

"He needs to use Mahathir to win the elections," said the BN strategic communications director.

"Tun Mahathir can forget about the job. Anwar Ibrahim can forget about the job. It will be Lim Kit Siang. And therefore to understand Malaysian politics, focus on this guy," he said.- Mkini