Anwar urges PKR members to respect Pakatan's presidential council decision

PETALING JAYA: PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged his party members as well as Pakatan Harapan coalition members to respect the decision made by the Pakatan presidential council on Friday (Feb 21) night.

The Port Dickson MP said he personally will not allow any of his party members to attack or condemn the decision that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been given full discretion when to step down as prime minister, which will be after the Apec Summit in November.

"I can instruct my party members to respect the decision. Right now, our focus is on the economy, as well as the effects from the coronavirus outbreak.

"I urge that everyone respects this decision. I will not allow any PKR members to attack or condemn this decision but for the rest out there, it is beyond me," he said after attending a function in Bangi on Saturday (Feb 22).

When asked to comment on reports saying there was tension during the meeting, with some members threatening to leave the Pakatan coalition, Anwar said tensed situations are usual during meetings.

"If a meeting is democratic, there would be some tensions, that's normal... I don't think it is an issue.

"What is important is that no one questions the transition (after this), no one questions Dr Mahathir as the seventh prime minister and Anwar as the eighth prime minister.

"It is just that we will need to think of a suitable time and we leave that to Dr Mahathir's wisdom," he added.

When asked about unhappy PKR members who are planning to organise a street protest after Pakatan did not come up with a definitive date for the hand over of power, Anwar said he had expected his party to act as one voice during the meeting, but it wasn't the case.

"Well it doesn't seem to work that way, but finally a consensus is agreed upon," he said.

Anwar also dismissed claims that the coalition meeting on Friday night had failed as no transition in leadership date was set.

On reports that some 3,000 PKR members in Tanjung Manis, Sarawak, had quit the party as they were unhappy with the party's central leadership, Anwar said there weren't 3,000 members to begin with.

"That is just a propaganda by a particular group. We have 1.1 million members. I would challenge the members but it doesn't matter to be because I see it as a small, desperate fraction within PKR who are trying to do this," he said.