Rais Yatim: Anwar as DPM a chance to right 1998 wrongs

Having PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim as deputy prime minister will present a second chance to make things right with his former political nemesis and now premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Elaborating on his previous tweet mooting the pairing, Bersatu’s Rais Yatim said today that the Mahathir-Anwar pairing would bring “outstanding” results.

“It would be better if the pairing was resuscitated [...] The things that happened before 1998 will be made right.

“Promises previously made would be able to be delivered to the rakyat. To me, the Mahathir and Anwar pairing is very good and outstanding.

“What happened in the past would be able to be dipercantikkandan diperelokkan (made right) now,” he said when asked by the media after launching an autobiography by the late Kassim Ahmad in Universiti Malaya today.

Rais reiterated his previous call for present deputy premier and Anwar’s wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to step aside for her husband to assume the role.

“It would be better if Anwar became deputy and Wan Azizah did the honourable thing if there is a (cabinet) reshuffle."

During Mahathir’s first tenure as PM, Rais had served as a foreign minister and information minister.

Anwar's previous stint as Mahathir's number two did not bode well for the former, who was given the marching orders on allegations of sodomy in 1998.

This gave birth to the reformasi movement after Anwar accused Mahathir of authoring a political conspiracy against him and sealing a conviction based on fabricated sodomy and abuse of power charges.

Prior to the last general election, the two political foes buried the hatchet with the understanding that if Pakatan Harapan wins federal power, Mahathir would serve as prime minister for two years before passing the baton to Anwar.

Since then, Mahathir has repeatedly indicated that he might take longer than the stipulated time frame, and this fueled speculation of a possible repeat of the 1998 fallout.

Anwar is set to make a return to Parliament after a three-year hiatus via the Port Dickson by-election - which has been set for Oct 13. - Mkini