PETALING JAYA: A Selangor PKR leader is calling for his party to ditch DAP and Amanah, its partners in Pakatan Harapan, after the leaders of the two parties appeared to prefer Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate.
Selangor PKR Youth secretary Ahmad Syukri Abd Razab questioned those who he said were “more comfortable” nominating Mahathir than his party boss Anwar Ibrahim.
“Pakatan Harapan has no value anymore. Restoring the people’s mandate is just an excuse considering that they didn’t do much in their 22 months in power,” he said.
Syukri reminded those eager for Mahathir’s return that the veteran leader had ignored objections from PKR when he named several anti-Anwar leaders for key Cabinet posts.
He was referring to Mahathir appointing Mohamed Azmin Ali as the economic affairs minister, saying the former party deputy president had in the end committed treachery against the PH coalition.
“Now the same people are urging PKR to once again accept this old grandfather as prime minister.”
“PKR should leave PH. Hand it over PH to Amanah, DAP and the grandfather,” he said, in remarks which he later told FMT were made in his personal capacity.
“But it’s up to DAP, Amanah and Mahathir’s group if they want to go ahead forming a government without PKR if they have enough support,” he added.
The PH coalition, comprising PKR, Amanah and DAP, as well as the Sabah-based Warisan and four MPs aligned to Mahathir, was supposed to announce its prime ministerial candidate yesterday, in its campaign to return to federal power through a parliamentary vote of confidence.
FMT earlier reported that PH had agreed to appoint Mahathir for the top post, with Anwar as his deputy, under a new “black and white” agreement.
The decision has not gone down well with Anwar’s supporters, who accused Mahathir of breaking his promise to give up the post to Anwar during PH’s 21-month rule. - FMT
