KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 — Despite his incarceration, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim remains Pakatan Harapan’s choice candidate for prime minister if the Opposition pact wins the next general elections, DAP’s national publicity secretary said today.
Tony Pua indicated that neither his party nor its two partners, PKR and Amanah, will endorse Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) protem president Tan Sri Muhyiddin for the top government post.
“As it stands, Pakatan Harapan’s position is, and remains, Anwar Ibrahim [for prime minister],” the Petaling Jaya Utara MP told news portal Malaysiakini, in response to Muhyiddin’s nomination by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is also PPBM protem chairman.
Asked how tenable the proposition would be considering Anwar is still serving a jail sentence for sodomy, Pua told the news portal that the parties will “worry about that later”.
De facto PKR leader Anwar, 69, was convicted of sodomy and sentenced to five years imprisonment by the Federal Court in February last year, which means he will be released only in 2020, after the 14th general election which must be held by 2018.
Dr Mahathir was reported by The Star earlier today to have mooted Muhyiddin, removed as deputy prime minister last year, as the Opposition’s likeliest prime minister candidate if he is confirmed as PPBM president.
PPBM was registered last month and is seeking to cooperate with Pakatan Harapan parties to take on the ruling Barisan Nasional in the next general election.
