KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — Perak PKR Chief Mohd Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak today warned the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition to not make the same mistake when choosing the prime minister candidate again.
Referring to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s resignation last February that led to the PH government’s collapse, Farhash — who is also Anwar’s political secretary — said PH component leaders should evaluate their support for a leader who has caused political turmoil in the coalition.
“It is clear from my remarks last night that some leaders of the component parties have been stirred up (melatah).
“The fact that a PM candidate is to be agreed upon depends on the leader’s sense of responsibility. If that person has already been given the trust but he resigns as he pleases and causes the country’s political turmoil, why should we risk it again?
“I am scared, afraid of losing the people’s mandate. If this cannot be evaluated by other PH component leaders, then answer it in the 15th general election,” he said in a brief statement today.
Yesterday, Farhash expressed disappointment over the revelation that DAP agreed to Dr Mahathir becoming prime minister again if PH and its allies recaptured federal power, reminding them how Anwar had united the Opposition and risked alienating Malay support for working with the predominantly Chinese party.
“DAP and Amanah should state their stand behind the man who brought us all together.
“Is this how you repay Anwar for a friendship built over 20 years?” he said in the statement over a Malaysiakini interview with DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke yesterday that revealed only PKR still did not support Dr Mahathir as the prime minister candidate.
Earlier today, Amanah communications director Khalid Abd Samad said that Farhash should stop behaving like a coward and pretend that Dr Mahathir is the bigger enemy to PH compared to the Perikatan Nasional (PN) ruling coalition.
“Stop behaving like a coward afraid to handle a challenge.
“If you are unable to handle a weakened Tun (Mahathir), how can you handle the nation which is far more challenging than a 95-year-old man left out in the cold by his own party and ally (Azmin Ali)?
“Stop giving the impression that Mahathir is the bigger enemy while PN with Muhyiddin Yassin and Azmin are okay,” he said as reported by Malaysiakini.
