Stop discussing leadership transition openly, urges Anwar

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged all parties in Pakatan Harapan to not discuss the transition of power issue openly and to honour the consensus on the matter reached in January 2018.

The PKR president said he has pledged his support for Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to lead the country, especially in strengthening the economy.

"Pakatan and Tun Dr Mahathir have repeatedly asserted their commitment to honour the transition process as agreed. We should also respect this so that it happens in a peaceful and orderly manner," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Jan 22).

Several Pakatan leaders have called for the coalition's presidential council to make an announcement on the power transition issue, sparking public tiff between the coalition's leaders especially among those allied to both leaders.

Dr Mahathir had recently said he was ready to give up his post as the head of the government at any moment should the Pakatan presidential council demand it.

He said this in response to several PKR MPs proposing that he hand over the prime minister's post to Anwar in May.

Previously, Dr Mahathir had said that he would pass the baton to Anwar, but not before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) which Malaysia is hosting in November.

The succession plan was agreed to by Pakatan before the 14th General Election in May 2018, which saw Pakatan become the governing coalition in Malaysia.