Incoming PKR president and newly-elected Port Dickson MP Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has once again reiterated that he has no intention to serve in the Cabinet at the moment.
Asked if he had his eyes set on any particular position in the Cabinet, Anwar quipped, “Are you proposing one for me now? If you do I can consider”.
“No, I stand by my earlier decision that I don’t intend to serve any positions. I’m happy with this position,” he said at a press conference in Parliament on Monday (Oct 15).
At the same time, Anwar said that plans to eventually make him the eighth prime minister are not a priority at the moment, as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad needed to be given space to lead the government.
“That is very important because some key fundamental decisions have to be made by Dr Mahathir and the Cabinet,” he said.
Anwar said that these decisions are about government policies and to reverse flawed decisions of the previous Barisan Nasional administration.
“For that, we would need total and unequivocal support by Pakatan Harapan and that includes me,” he added.
Anwar, in expressing gratitude towards Dr Mahathir’s move to campaign alongside him in the recently concluded Port Dickson polls, regarded the 93-year-old’s energy as extraordinary.
“That is why, when I first won (the by-election), I’m among the first to inform that good news to Dr Mahathir.
“Even just now, before swearing-in as the Port Dickson MP, I also managed to tell Dr Mahathir that my job is to ensure that the government remains stable and strong under his leadership.”
At the same time, Anwar also said he has no intention of being the chief whip (of PKR) or the backbenchers leader for the Pakatan coalition.
“I just want to be the supporter of the chief whip. It’s more relaxing. I can meet whomever I want and I can say whatever I want.
“Formal positions will only serve as a challenge,” he said.
According to Pakatan’s manifesto, it is stated that following the consensus achieved by DAP, PKR, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and Parti Amanah Negara, Anwar will be made prime minister within two years. – The Star
Related report: Oct 15, Anwar is Back Again