BANGI, Oct 26 — The ruling coalition has the prerogative to choose the prime minister, PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said in response to an Opposition party’s remarks about its preference.

Anwar said PAS expressing support for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was part of the Opposition’s plans to cause friction in the ruling coalition.

“When we were Opposition, we never asked for the ruling party to name their next PM candidate from Umno,” said Anwar when met by reporters after he launched the Nation Building seminar here today.

He reiterated that Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders have already commented on the power transition from Dr Mahathir to him.

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“This has been answered by Muhyiddin (PPBM president, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin), Kit Siang (DAP leader Lim Kit Siang), and also PKR leaders, that we will bring this matter to the PH presidential council.

“The ruling coalition now will be the ones to decide who will lead the country,” said Anwar.

Anwar was responding to PAS that recently pledged its support for Dr Mahathir to remain prime minister for the full term.

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It claimed any change in the position required a dissolution of Parliament and would disrupt the economy.

Asked about PAS’s call to ban DAP, Anwar dismissed this as “old fashioned”.

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man yesterday said three recent controversies linked to DAP would justify a government ban on the party.

Tuan Ibrahim named these as his claim that a DAP MP is promoting a Christian government, the arrest of DAP lawmakers over alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Home Ministry’s ban of a pro-China comic that a former DAP member commissioned.

“PAS is still doing things according to the old mindset of wanting to ban this and that. That is old politics. 

“For them to teach the current government such a practice (to ban a party) is dangerous. It is dangerous even for them (PAS),” said Anwar.

Tuan Ibrahim’s demand is an escalation of the Opposition’s call yesterday for the government to deregister DAP if its leaders are found to be responsible for Belt and Road Initiative for Win-Winism comic that former DAP member Hew Kuan Yau commissioned.

The Home Ministry banned the comic this week for containing communist and socialist ideology, after it was alleged to have been distributed to local schools unauthorised.

The comic was further linked to DAP by way of secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s foreword.

Anwar also said PKR has not discussed former Umno minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak’s application to join the party.