PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has insisted that Langkawi MP Dr Mahathir Mohamad should not become the prime minister for the third time, but Anwar is willing to consider him for a senior cabinet post should Pakatan Harapan take over the government.
“They talk about a senior minister (or) minister-mentor ala Lee Kuan Yew (the late Singapore prime minister). I’m open to a discussion,” Anwar is seen saying in a video interview with Channel News Asia.
A two-minute clip of the interview was posted by Channel News Asia’s Malaysia bureau chief Melissa Goh on her Twitter account last night.
In the interview, Anwar was reportedly asked about the proposal for Mahathir to be the prime minister for six months, while Anwar serves as his deputy until Mahathir hands over power to him after that period.
To that, he replied that it would mean spending six months being unable to focus on reform but instead argue over issues such as the date of the next transition of power and whether there would be further changes to the cabinet line-up.
The new government, Anwar said, must be totally committed to structural reform.
“To my mind, he has served twice as prime minister. It’s time that we move on.
“I emphasise that it is not a question of personality. It is a question of an opportunity to begin anew – a fresh start for this country.
“Malaysians deserve better. (There is) so much disillusionment about politics now,” he added.
In the interview, Anwar also reportedly said that Harapan must be ready for a snap general election as early as August and expressed optimism that the coalition would win the election.
“We must always – in a democratic system – trust in the wisdom of the masses,” he said.
Harapan is attempting to rally the support of MPs to stage a countercoup against the Perikatan-Nasional-led government, but is at an impasse over who should be prime minister in the event of a successful coup.
One proposal was for Anwar to become prime minister while Mahathir’s son Mukhriz (photo, above) takes the post of deputy prime minister.
Another proposal calls for Mahathir to become prime minister for six months, while Anwar will be his deputy and would take over the premiership after the six months.
According to DAP and Amanah, they found that the first option could only find support from 96 MPs, which is short of the 111 seats required to seize majority control of the Dewan Rakyat.
However, Anwar had said on Sunday that the second option could also not muster sufficient support. - Mkini
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