Saifuddin: PH yet to discuss choice of Muhyiddin as DPM
Umno’s Bung Moktar meanwhile says DAP’s choice of Wan Azizah for interim PM is motivated by party’s desire to control opposition.
(FMT) – Pakatan Harapan (PH) has yet to discuss the possibility of making former Umno leader Muhyiddin Yassin the deputy prime minister in the event the opposition wins the next general election.
Such a choice, however, would not be entirely unexpected as the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) president was well respected within the coalition, said PH secretariat chief Saifuddin Abdullah.
“I can see the respect the PH leadership has for Muhyiddin,” he told FMT.
His comments follow DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang’s proposal to make Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Muhyiddin interim prime minister and deputy prime minister respectively should the opposition win the votes to form the government.
Lim had proposed that Wan Azizah fill in for her husband, former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim until his release from prison.
“Anwar is PH’s choice for prime minister. But there is a possibility that he will not be able to contest in the 14th general election.
‘That was when the idea of an interim candidate came up. It would be practical to have Wan Azizah hold the post temporarily as a natural extension of her role as opposition leader,” said Saifuddin.
The Federal Court last week rejected Anwar’s bid to review his sodomy conviction and five-year jail sentence on the basis that his application lacked merit.
Meanwhile, Umno supreme council member Bung Moktar Radin said the opposition would be engaging in “extreme politics” by making Wan Azizah interim prime minister.
He claimed DAP’s true motive for selecting Wan Azizah was to ensure it could continue to pull the strings within the coalition.
“After Umno, DAP is the party with the highest number of MPs. It is clear that if the opposition wins the election, DAP will be the party leading it.
“Putting Wan Azizah in the prime minister’s seat is DAP’s way of keeping control.
“She is someone who is easy to control,” he told FMT at the Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority’s 50th anniversary celebration today.
He also advised the people not to fall for DAP’s political games and to remember that to the party, Wan Azizah was nothing more than a “stepping stone”.
