Wan Azizah agrees husband won’t be PM immediately

The deputy prime minister says the timeline for Anwar Ibrahim to replace Dr Mahathir has already been discussed.

PUTRAJAYA: Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail agrees that her husband Anwar Ibrahim would not take over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad immediately, ahead of the jailed leader’s release tomorrow as well as a possible royal pardon to allow him to return to politics.

“We have discussed this together and we hope that under Dr Mahathir everything will be dealt with smoothly,” she said when met at the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital, where Anwar has been undergoing treatment.

This comes after a statement from Daim Zainuddin, the former finance minister who is now part of a top advisory council for the new government, saying it would be “foolish” to appoint Anwar as prime minister now.

Mahathir told The Wall Street Journal today that it would take “one or two years” for his one-time deputy to replace him as prime minister.

Anwar, 70, is due to be released tomorrow. He was sentenced to five years’ jail in 2015 over a sodomy charge that he said was politically motivated.

Under an agreement among top Pakatan Harapan leaders, Anwar would take over from Mahathir, who had said he had no plans to stay long in the post.

PKR political bureau member R Sivarasa also agreed the issue of Anwar being appointed as the prime minister immediately does not arise.

“That is not something Anwar has demanded,” he told FMT.

“This matter is up for discussion but Anwar has never demanded to be prime minister immediately,” he said. -FMT