Dr M won’t sit out PD campaign

PM’s decision to clear the air over relationship with Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: To dispel talk of a falling out between them, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will campaign in the Port Dickson by-election on Monday for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar has since expressed his delight over Dr Mahathir’s announcement.

Dr Mahathir said he decided to do so despite sitting out the three previous by-elections contested by Pakatan Harapan because he wanted to clear the air about their relationship.

“A lot of people are making all kinds of remarks against me so I think I’ll do that (campaign in Port Dickson).

“They’re talking about my quarrel with Anwar and saying I don’t support Anwar because of the quarrel,” said the Pakatan chairman after chairing the coalition’s presidential council meeting here yesterday.

Dr Mahathir said on Monday, Pakatan leaders, including himself, would be heading to Port Dickson for large-scale campaigning.

Asked about the electoral watchdog Bersih’s statement that the Pakatan campaign in Port Dickson seemed unfair to other candidates as Cabinet members had been stumping for Anwar, Dr Mahathir said: “Even though we are ministers, we have our own parties. So, we still have to do party work”.

On Anwar attending a function for army veterans on Wednesday where Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu had been present, Dr Mahathir said it was not a government event.

“It was a function for veterans but not by the Defence Ministry. However, the minister was there as a party member,” he said.

Mohamad is Parti Amanah Negara president.

Dr Mahathir also expressed hopes that outstation voters would return to cast their ballots on polling day as there would be no postal votes.

Pakatan has won the Sungai Kandis by-election in August as well as in Seri Setia and Balakong in September.

In Port Dickson, Bernama reported Anwar as saying that he was happy when told that Dr Mahathir would be campaigning in the beach town.

Describing the gesture as a good sign for himself and the residents, Anwar said this was because when he was Prime Minister before, Dr Mahathir did not campaign in by-elections.

“The task is usually handed over to his deputy and other leaders,” he said when speaking at a gathering of village entrepreneurs and friends of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia here.

Dr Mahathir’s presence, said Anwar, was seen as giving confidence to Port Dickson voters to support the Pakatan candidate.