If people don’t want Anwar that is their business, says Mahathir

(FMT) – Dr Mahathir Mohamad today promised to hand over power to anointed successor Anwar Ibrahim in spite of new sexual assault allegations against him.

The prime minister told Reuters in an interview that he would not hand over before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ( Apec) summit in Kuala Lumpur in November, but could be ready after that.

“I made a promise to hand over and I will, accepting that I thought that a change immediately before the Apec summit would be disruptive,” Mahathir said.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m stepping down and I’m handing the baton to him. If people don’t want him, that is their business, but I will do my part of the promise. Irrespective of whatever allegation. I made my promise, I keep my promise.”

Asked if a handover could come in December 2020, Mahathir said: “We’ll look at that when the time comes.”

The turbulent relationship between the two men – allies turned fierce rivals who later reunited to win power – has shaped Malaysian politics for decades.

Anwar, 72, had been jailed three times on separate counts of sodomy and for corruption – charges he said were political.

Last week, Anwar denied fresh allegations by a former aide that he had tried to force him to have sex – describing the accusations as “politics at its worst”.

Mahathir’s is in his second stint as prime minister, a post he previously held for 22 years from 1981 to 2003. Anwar was his deputy from 1993 to 1998, when the two fell out. Anwar was jailed the following year.

Although Mahathir promised to hand over to Anwar during the 2018 election campaign, doubts grew over his intentions when he later said he needed more time to steer the heavily-indebted country out of its troubles first.