KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad should be allowed to serve as prime minister for the remainder of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government’s mandate, Datuk Seri Azmin Ali told reporters in Parliament today.
The economic affairs minister who is also PKR deputy president was responding to claims that he and Umno’s Sembrong MP Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein are plotting a new alliance without DAP and Parti Amanah — two components that are part of the ruling PH coalition that includes Dr Mahathir’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
“I see this as statements from desperate groups. As a country which respects the democratic system, the rakyat chooses a government or prime minister every five years,” Azmin was quoted saying by news portal Malaysiakini.
He questioned if Malaysia had changed its electoral system for people to vote in new representatives every two years, or even annually.
“I hope those obsessed with power will respect the rakyat’s mandate in the general election, which decided on the government for the next five years.
“Any party which attempts to weaken the administration and government before that, be it three, two or one year, that is a back-door government.”
Rumours have been circulating that a new political alliance of Malay-based parties will be formed to take over from the current PKR-DAP-Amanah-Bersatu coalition that could throw a wrench into the government succession plan from Dr Mahathir to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
