KOTA KINABALU,Sept 21: PKR president Anwar Ibrahim said he is confident of getting enough support from MPs to become the next prime minister if Pakatan Harapan (PH) returns to power at the next general election.
Responding to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s remarks that Anwar should give way to Warisan president Shafie Apdal as PM-candidate if he couldn’t get the numbers, Anwar said that was only Lim’s personal opinion.
“He gave his view but it’s okay we accept opinions, no problem,” he said here today. “His view is that we should give way if I can’t (get the numbers) but the answer is I can.”
Anwar is the parliamentary opposition leader and MP for Port Dickson.
Yesterday, in an interview with FMT, Lim had reiterated his support for Anwar and Shafie as candidates for prime minister in the event of PH’s return to power. He said the PKR and Warisan chiefs remained his firm favourites for the top post.
“We support Anwar to have the numbers, but if he can’t, we should give Shafie a chance and the due respect to a first East Malaysian PM,” he said.
In July, Lim and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu had come up with the Anwar-or-Shafie plan to resolve an impasse between former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar, but said the plan could only succeed with the backing of all the MPs affiliated to PH.
Some PKR leaders have disagreed, saying PH should stick to the plan made before the 2018 general election, which had Mahathir and Anwar as candidates.
Subsequently, PKR Youth information chief Razeef Rakimin took exception to Lim’s remarks, and criticised Lim for his continued support of Shafie as the PM candidate.
Razeef charged that Lim’s support for Shafie was an act of betrayal of PH. “For me, if he no longer has the spirit of standing in solidarity with PH, just dissolve PH,” he said.
