Dr M dismisses Syed Husin’s attack over power transition

Syed Husin Ali (right) has accused Dr Mahathir Mohamad of trying to go back on his promise to make way for Anwar Ibrahim.

PUTRAJAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad today brushed aside a scathing attack on him by Syed Husin Ali, saying the former PKR deputy president was not part of the discussions to appoint Anwar Ibrahim as the eighth prime minister.

“We did not discuss anything,” he said briefly when asked about Syed Husin’s remarks that Mahathir was trying to avoid handing over power to Anwar as promised by Pakatan Harapan before the elections last year.

Syed Husin’s comments last week came after Mahathir told a forum in New York that he would need at the most three more years before handing over “to a suitable candidate”.

Mahathir has come under pressure from some PKR leaders who are calling for a date to be fixed for Anwar to take over.

The PH chairman today said he would set a date once his work was done, saying it would be “difficult” if work was half-done.

Meanwhile, Mahathir dismissed calls for unity minister P Waytha Moorthy to step down, following findings by an inquest that fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim was murdered.

“There are no problems with him,” he said.

Several Malay-interest groups have said that Waytha must be held responsible for fuelling tension during the riot outside the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya late last year.

Adib died three weeks after he was injured at the scene of the riot. - FMT