Dr Mahathir knows best which seats are ‘safe’, say PKR, Amanah

PETALING JAYA: Two Pakatan Harapan (PH) parties disagreed with a suggestion by former minister Zaid Ibrahim that the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate Dr Mahathir Mohamad be allocated a “safe” seat at the next polls.

PKR says that Mahathir’s record showed the former prime minister is most qualified to decide which seat would be best for him to contest.

“We believe he has the wisdom to make his own choices. In fact, all the seats that PH is contesting are winnable,” said PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution.

Zaid in a blog post today said PH must ensure Mahathir’s victory at the next polls, adding that he doubted the veteran leader could win in Kubang Pasu, Langkawi or Putrajaya.

“These are not the constituencies that can give PH any certainty of having him as their prime minister, unless they are not very concerned about his chance of winning in the first place,” he said, openly criticising PH.

Saifuddin said Mahathir had “done his homework” in selecting constituencies.

Mahathir had previously said he might stand as candidate in Putrajaya, Langkawi or Kubang Pasu, where he once was the MP.

Meanwhile, Amanah is confident that PPBM knows best which seats it wants to run for.

“And they will choose safe seats,” said Amanah’s communications director, Khalid Samad.

At the PH convention last Sunday, it was announced that PPBM would run for election in 52 parliamentary constituencies in Peninsular Malaysia, PKR in 51, DAP in 35 and Amanah in 27.

On Zaid’s view that Kubang Pasu was not a sure-win for Mahathir, Khalid said that it might have been the case before, but not since PH’s announcement of Mahathir as its prime ministerial candidate. -FMT