Ex-aide: We know Mukhriz wants to be PM

Former political officer says people of Kedah are not stupid and we can read his agenda to be prime minister through whatever means.

(FMT) – A former aide has challenged Mukhriz Mahathir to deny he had ambitions of securing the Umno deputy presidentcy in 2018 en route to becoming prime minister.

Haris Che Mat was a former executive secretary of Kedah Umno and a special political officer to Mukhriz.

In a newspaper interview published today, he said “the people of Kedah are not stupid, and we can read his agenda of wanting to be prime minister through whatever means”.

Mukhriz, son of former premier Mahathir Mohamad, was deposed as menteri besar of Kedah and expelled from the Umno supreme council and the party two months ago. He is now pro-tem vice-president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia which intends to end Barisan Nasional control of the federal government.

In an interview with the Berita Harian newspaper, Haris challenged Mukhriz to swear on the Quran to deny he was trying to “fast-track” his way to the prime minister’s office.

He said Mukhriz had planned to become an Umno vice-president in party elections two years ago, and then to run for the deputy presidency in 2018.

“I challenge him to swear if he has no intentions to fast track his way to become prime minister,” Haris was quoted as saying.

The daily further quoted Haris as telling Mukhriz to put an end to the Save Malaysia movement, which was launched last year by Mukhriz’s father to depose Umno president and prime minister Najib Razak.

Earlier this week Mukhriz denied Haris’s claims that he was mounting attacks against Najib for his personal ambitions.