PM candidate discussed but no decision yet, says PKR

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan discussed a prime ministerial candidate proposal at its recent leadership retreat but has not officially adopted it, said PKR.

PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil refused to comment on whether or not the Opposition coalition is considering Pribumi chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the prime minister post if it wins the next general election, with PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as his deputy.

Fahmi also remained tightlipped when pressed to specify a timeframe for Pakatan to decide, or if there were other names on the table.

In a statement on Tuesday night, Fahmi said PKR’s political bureau acknowledged and debated the proposal during Pakatan’s leadership retreat.

“Since the proposal has not been officially adopted by Pakatan Harapan’s presidential council, and considering the history and princi ples of the reformasi struggle, PKR’s political bureau has decided to continue discussions about the proposal to ensure that it is the best for Malaysia,” he said.

He did not mention the names of the proposed candidates in his statement.

It was previously reported that Pakatan had formally proposed Dr Mahathir as its candidate for prime minister and Dr Wan Azizah as his deputy.

However, the decision, which was announced at the end of the coalition’s twoday retreat in Putrajaya, was said to have been opposed by some attendees, including a senior PKR leader.

The choice was apparently agreed upon by the top five leaders, or G5, of Pakatan on the sidelines of the retreat.

G5 refers to Pakatan chairman Dr Mahathir, president Dr Wan Azizah and deputy presidents Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Lim Guan Eng and Mohamed Sabu.