Discussions had apparently focussed on two combinations – Anwar and Mukhriz as well as Mahathir and Anwar.
The DAP today said there were mechanisms in place to ensure Dr Mahathir Mohamad steps down at a set date if he became the prime minister for the third time.
Revealing this today, party organising secretary, Anthony Loke said Mahathir, 95, had requested to helm the nation for six months before passing the baton to PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“Of course, people can question if he will keep his promise. Our answer to that is six months down the road, there are mechanisms to make that happen.
“PKR has 38 MPs. Without them, Dr Mahathir cannot continue to govern.
“Each party will be able to bring down the government by itself if they pull out. If the promise is not kept (by Dr Mahathir), PKR has the option to force an election by that time,” he said in an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini.
On Jan 7, 2018, PH consisting Bersatu, DAP, PKR and Amanah had signed an agreement naming Dr Mahathir as their candidate for prime minister and Anwar as his successor.
This time, “Pakatan Harapan Plus” is proposing a repeat of the combination from 1993 to 1998 with Dr Mahathir as the prime minister and Anwar as number two.
Loke said the Dr Mahathir-Anwar dynamics must not be seen as a zero-sum game and the pair must work together if the mandate from voters in 2018 is to be respected.
According to the former transport minister, DAP was not interested in quarrelling over who was at fault for the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government.
“We need the numbers to unseat Perikatan Nasional. So, both leaders must work together,” he added.
On the same note, Loke said DAP understands that it would be a difficult decision for Anwar to set aside his differences with Dr Mahathir again.
“We fully understand this,” he added.
On whether Dr Mahathir had tried to position his son Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir in the “Pakatan Harapan plus” negotiations, Loke replied in the negative.
“To be fair to him (Dr Mahathir), he has never taken his son’s political future as a consideration (in the discussions). He never said his son must be given positions,” he added.
Loke also clarified that discussions focussed on two combinations – Anwar and Mukhriz as well as Dr Mahathir and Anwar. Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal was never in the running.
In the last week or so, PH and its allies have seemingly been rejuvenated with hope that it may have turned the tide in garnering the majority in Parliament after Perikatan Nasional (PN) took over Putrajaya in March.
However, several sources who wished to remain unnamed have indicated that the pact has been deadlocked for days on making any counter move, due to the inability so far to agree on who to lead this new pact.
Meanwhile, PKR youth chief, Akmal Nasir said mechanisms to ensure Dr Mahathir does not stay as prime minister for more than six months were useless when there is no trust left.
“The PH government would not have fallen if Dr Mahathir did not resign on February 24,” said the Johor Baru MP in a statement today.
“His divide-and-rule strategy brought the party to where it is today,” said Akmal, referring to the appointment of the PH cabinet by Dr Mahathir after the coalition won federal power in 2018.
“When we asked him to reconsider, he said it was his executive power.”
“How can he (Dr M) deny his role when he took in Umno MPs into Bersatu but none of them supported PH.
“And when PH was being attacked on racial and religious politics, they organised the Malay Dignity Congress,” said Akmal.
Anwar’s supporters also largely blame Dr Mahathir for empowering Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and his group of supporters by making them ministers and allowing them to plot and destabilise PKR internally.
Anwar, however, has never taken any action against Azmin during the past two years and their fallout can be traced back to the Kajang move that allowed the latter to pip Anwar’s wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to the Selangor menteri besar’s post in 2014.
PH was originally scheduled to announce its prime minister candidate on its self-imposed deadline two days ago, but its chief secretary Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said in a statement on Tuesday evening that discussions were still ongoing.