Like it or not, I have to trust him, says Dr M on Anwar

But the prime minister says he can stay longer if coalition partners insist

(FMT) – Dr Mahathir Mohamad said his personal views about Anwar Ibrahim will not stand in the way of a succession plan agreed to by Pakatan Harapan.

The prime minister told CNN that he had to eventually let go of his present post.

“I have to trust him whether I like it or not. I can’t be here all the time,” he said.

Mahathir, whose dramatic sacking of Anwar in 1998 sparked the reformasi movement, made peace with his former deputy in 2016, and both men became part of the coalition that brought down Barisan Nasional in the recent polls.

Under a deal by the PH leadership, Anwar will succeed Mahathir as prime minister.

The PKR leader is currently running for the president’s post in party elections next month.

Mahathir, who in the past said he could remain as prime minister for two years, said he could stay longer in the post if coalition partners wanted him to.

“If the condition for us working together is my serving as prime minister for two years or three years, for me that is not important.

“I will abide by the wishes of the people,” Mahathir told the channel.

In an interview with Al Jazeera in May, Anwar said he had “no reason not to trust” Mahathir as the latter had proven his mettle and facilitated his release.