Respect our decision, you’re the new kid on the block, DAP lawmaker tells Tun M
(NST) – A DAP senior member has told former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to be respectful of Pakatan Harapan’s decision in naming jailed opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as its prime minister candidate.
DAP’s Klang Member of Parliament Charles Santiago reminded that parties in Pakatan Harapan have been championing the people and Anwar’s issues for many years as the opposition.
Thus, he said, Dr Mahathir should respect them if they wish to name Anwar as the Pakatan Harapan’s prime minister candidate.
“Today, he (Dr Mahathir) is working with Pakatan Harapan to bring down the Barisan Nasional government. But that doesn’t give him the criteria to be the prime minister or name a prime minister.
“You’re the new kid on the block so you must be respectful of Pakatan Harapan’s decision which we have voiced for the past few years that Anwar is our prime minister candidate,” he said when contacted.
He was responding to former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s blog post today who said he will nominate Dr Mahathir to be the prime minister “simply because he is the best for the job”.
Zaid, who recently joined DAP, also said that he no longer understands the opposition’s politics, adding that Pakatan Harapan has “too much confidence for their own good”.
On this, Santiago said Zaid must understand that Anwar had always been the prime minister candidate for opposition parties ever since the 2008 and 2013 general elections.
“Until now, Pakatan Harapan believes that Anwar’s jail sentence was politically motivated and even Amnesty International described Anwar as a prisoner of conscience.
“Maybe Zaid wants Dr Mahathir to be the prime minister but to me, that doesn’t make sense because Dr Mahathir is 92 years old (this year) and he was the prime minister for 22 years.”
During the PKR National Congress in Shah Alam yesterday, all Pakatan Harapan leaders while on the stage held placards saying “Anwar as the 7th PM” except for Dr Mahathir and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Their actions raised speculation that the duo did not agree with the opposition pact naming Anwar as their prime minister candidate, although Dr Mahathir had said before that Pakatan Harapan would collectively decide on the issue.
Following that, Zaid in his blog also said the leaders’ action showed “their lack of respect to both Dr Mahathir and Muhyiddin who were present”.
Zaid said it was also arrogant of PKR to pick a prime minister-designate when the opposition has not even won anything yet.
