Mahathir: Pakatan Harapan can sack me as PM if it wants

(The Sun Daily) – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Pakatan Harapan (PH) is free to “sack” him as the prime minister if it feels this was the best direction for the coalition.

The premier said this when asked if he believed a power transition now was necessary to address the problems faced by PH, that led to its disastrous loss in the recent Tanjung Piai by-election.

“It is up to the party. They can sack me if they want,” he told reporters after chairing the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) supreme council meeting, here.

“The thing is, if we have a change (in leadership) midway, it will be very confusing and will create a lot of problem. But of course, if I’m sacked, then I don’t know about that. But I think we need to be serious about this. What happens to me is not something important, but what happens to the country is important,” he added.

On how confident he was with the level of support from PH and the rakyat for him, Mahathir said: “So far nobody has punched my nose yet. They still shake my hand, and wherever I go, people still take pictures with me. I think there still are people who like me.”

Mahathir also thanked PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after the latter earlier today said there was no plan to move a vote of no confidence against the premier in Parliament.

“Thank you. But if anybody wants to do it, they can do so. We are a free, democratic party and country. Anybody can move a vote of no confidence, or even a vote of confidence for me,” he said.

Asked to comment on if it was appropriate for PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali to conduct a closed door meeting with opposition members just two days after the Tanjung Piai defeat, Mahathir said he has not spoken to former yet on the matter.

He however said this was something that PKR needs to solve within itself as this was a party issue.

On accusations that he was the one who had instructed Azmin to conduct the meeting to garner support, Mahathir said: “Maybe I am a dictator, but I did not dictate this time.”