KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — PAS leaders have echoed the words of one of its Syura Council members Datuk Khairuddin Aman Razali who said that Datuk Seri Azmin Ali is the best choice for the deputy prime minister post should there
be a Cabinet reshuffle.
PAS vice-president Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad told the Malay Mail that he believes among PKR members, the economic affairs minister is the most qualified candidate as he had led the Selangor state government which is the
most developed state in Malaysia.
“Selangor is a mini-Malaysia in terms of racial composition and it has fast-paced development. Anyone who can administer Selangor well can administer Malaysia.
“Under Azmin, Selangor achieved a lot of success based on the cooperation of the three Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties back then,” said Iskandar who was one of Azmin’s executive councillors in the 13th Selangor state assembly prior to PR dissolution that saw PAS leaving the coalition.
He said that Azmin is capable of uniting the three PR parties to work together and focus on development in Selangor.
But Iskandar did not discount other state level leaders including his own president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang who was Terengganu Mentri Besar and former Negri Sembilan MB Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan of being equally as capable as Azmin.
The party’s information chief Nasrudin Hassan shared Khairuddin’s exact sentiments that due to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s preference to go straight for the number one political seat in Malaysia, Azmin is the best option for number two.
“I agree with Khairuddin’s view. If there is a reshuffle, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is the prime minister candidate, therefore the best for deputy prime minister is Azmin,” said Nasrudin who did not clarify further.
Yesterday, Khairuddin had voiced his support for Azmin saying that if Anwar is to become the next prime minister, his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail should not remain as deputy prime minister.
The Syura Council member argued that appointing Azmin to the post is a good transition plan because Anwar has stated multiple times he was not interested in becoming a deputy prime minister again.
However, the party’s deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man dismissed the support for Azmin as nothing more than rumours and speculation.
“To me this is still an uncertain rumour and nothing is official. Lately there are many rumours because the media has become so open that anyone can write anything they want. We should wait until there’s official news,” said Tuan Ibrahim.
Rumours of a Cabinet reshuffle has been ongoing since last year.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had said that any reshuffle is Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s prerogative.
Dr Mahathir himself has however denied the rumour, saying that any report on an impending Cabinet reshuffle was “fake news.”
