KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had no part in a purported conspiracy to prevent the PKR president from becoming the next prime minister.
Anwar said he met with Dr Mahathir in Putrajaya today, during which he brought up the rumoured efforts of PAS as well as factions within Umno and PKR to back the prime minister to serve out his full term.
“The prime minister was not involved in this effort and he even reiterated his firm statement that he will relinquish the position as promised,” Anwar said in a statement today.
Anwar said he acknowledged Dr Mahathir’s desire to continue leading the country until the conclusion of the 2020 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit, which Malaysia is hosting in November.
The PKR president said he also informed Dr Mahathir that Pakatan Harapan leaders and some allies still held firm to the agreement from January 2018 to support the latter as the PM and for Anwar to succeed him.
PH has presented a succession plan that would see Anwar take over from Dr Mahathir as prime minister.
It had been initially presented as happening within two years of the general election but it was later revealed that there is no formal agreement on when it must happen.
The lack of any formal timeline has led to incessant speculation, rumours, and intrigue about the transition, forcing both Dr Mahathir and Anwar to repeatedly insist that the promised transition will take place.
Most recently, it was reported that PAS lawmakers along with some in Umno and PKR allegedly signed statutory declarations backing Dr Mahathir to stay on, in a purported bid to foil the plan for Anwar to take over.
