Anwar: Dr M offered me a government post but I said no

The PKR leader says this was to give Dr Mahathir the space to implement change in the country.

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim says he will travel around the country to thank the voters for their support.

GEORGE TOWN: PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim says Dr Mahathir Mohamad had offered him a position in the government, but that he had declined in order to give the new prime minister time to fix the important issues in the country.

Speaking at a ceramah at Seberang Jaya last night, he said he had held two long meetings with Mahathir.

“First, he met me in the hospital, and then another time at his office last week.

“He asked me if I wanted a post. I said no, because I wanted him to have the space to institute change in the country.

“And I see that the people also do not mind him leading the charge. Alhamdulillah,” he said.

Anwar, who was freed on May 15 after spending three years in jail, said for the time being, he would go on a tour around the country to thank voters for their support.

“At least now I have time to be with my family and do some writing,” he added.

Anwar also urged his supporters to forgive Mahathir for his past misdeeds and to trust the Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman to rebuild the country.

He said he himself had forgiven Mahathir after seeing that he was sincere about reforming Malaysia and getting rid of corruption.

This was not easy, he added, as he too had struggled to forgive the man who once put him in jail. He said the mere mention of forgiving Mahathir had also led to many fights between him and his family.

“I forgave him, I sincerely forgave him. He himself admitted that it was wrong to have sacked me before. What else do you want the man to say? Enough lah.”

He said many had criticised him for forming an alliance with his one-time foe, asking if Mahathir had truly changed.

“To naysayers, I say this: I am the one who was jailed, and I have forgiven him. Can we move on?” - FMT