Anwar willing to consider Dr M as minister mentor if Pakatan returns to power

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is willing to consider a senior minister or a minister mentor role for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad if Pakatan Harapan is returned to power.

"They talk about a senior minister (or) minister-mentor ala Lee Kuan Yew (the late Singapore prime minister). I’m open to a discussion.

"A new government must be totally committed to reforms, structural reforms," the PKR president said during an interview with Channel News Asia.

The two minute 16-second video clip of the interview was posted by Channel News Asia’s Malaysia bureau chief Melissa Goh on her Twitter account on Monday (June 22) night.

During the interview, Anwar was also asked about his thoughts on allowing Dr Mahathir to be the prime minister for the third time.

Anwar replied that with such an arrangement, they would not be able to focus on reform and the economy as time would be taken up by people who would be asking about the next transition of power date, and whether there would be changes to the Cabinet line-up.

“To my mind, he has served twice as prime minister. It’s time that we move on.

“I emphasise that it is not a question of personality. It is a question of an opportunity to begin anew – a fresh start for this country.

“Malaysians deserve something better. (There is) so much disillusionment about politics now, ” he said.

In the interview, Anwar also said that Pakatan must get ready for possible snap polls as early as August, adding that he was "optimistic" of their chances.

"We must always, in a democratic system, trust in the wisdom of the masses," he said.

Pakatan is currently in a quandary to decide who would be proposed as the next prime minister.

PKR has emphasised that it will only support the proposal of Anwar as the next prime minister and does not agree for Dr Mahathir to become the prime minister for the third time.

Pakatan coalition members, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara, meanwhile, have suggested for Dr Mahathir to be the next prime minister but only for six months before Anwar is handed the reins.

This proposal, they had said, would be "put in writing".