DR M TOLD TO CLARIFY ALLEGED TALKS TO ALLOW MUKHRIZ TO CONTEST IN GE14 UNDER BN TICKET
Move to get son to contest under BN ticket shows Dr M has no faith in PH, says Tunku Aziz
FORMER prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been urged to clarify alleged negotiations to allow his son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz, to contest the 14th General Election (GE14) under the Barisan Nasional (BN) ticket.
Former Transparency International-Malaysia board of directors vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim said the move, if true, meant that Dr Mahathir had no faith in Pakatan Harapan.
He said it also meant Dr Mahathir was not confident of his son’s chance of winning a seat under the opposition ticket.
“This could be part of his tactical arsenal.
“But, for him to make such a Uturn, shows that he is desperate.”
Dr Mahathir is the chairman of Pakatan Harapan and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), while Mukhriz is PPBM deputy president.
“Dr Mahathir must explain whether such an allegation is true and, if it is, he should clarify what it is all about,” he said.
He was commenting on a statement by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, in which the latter alleged that Dr Mahathir would cooperate with BN and Umno if Mukhriz was allowed to contest in GE14 as a BN candidate.
“It is to serve his own agenda. It is up to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak whether to accept Dr Mahathir’s terms. He offered to stop his tirade against Najib in exchange for a place for Mukhriz in Umno, simply because he knows that only by being in Umno does he stand a chance of ascending into the prime minister’s post. He will expect Umno’s hierarchy to smoothen Mukhriz’s path to the top. If this actually happens, it would be cynical,” he said, expressing doubt that Najib and Umno would accept the offer.
Tunku Aziz said Pakatan Harapan was being destabilised by the indecisions between component parties in the pact over their candidate for prime minister, should they win the election.
“They are talking about a temporary PM, like (Datuk Seri Dr) Wan Azizah Wan Ismail warming the seat while awaiting (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim’s release from prison. There is no such thing as a temporary PM, its ridiculous.”
He also urged DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang to state his stand on Dr Mahathir if the allegation was true, adding that if it was true, then Dr Mahathir was only using Pakatan Harapan to suit his ultimate ambition to make Mukhriz prime minister.