‘PM post for Anwar under threat’

Group: Rogue PKR members seek to engineer power grab

KUALA LUMPUR: There are individuals within PKR who want to prevent party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from becoming prime minister in two years, claims Otai Reformasi, a veterans’ group known for being loyal to Anwar.

Its chairman and Ijok assemblyman Dr Idris Ahmad said it was clear there were people who wanted to prevent the PKR president from becoming prime minister and to spur a power grab.

“Otai Reformasi will oppose anyone who attempts to thwart Anwar from becoming prime minister as agreed to by the Pakatan Harapan presidential council,” said Dr Idris, who is also Federal Territories PKR leadership council chairman.

Asked to be specific on those in PKR who were against the transition of power, he merely said it was clear from several Facebook postings, including a recent statement from “a minister”.

“We don’t want doubts to be created and will go all out to defend the transition of power,” he told a press conference here.

At the beginning of the event yesterday, Dr Idris explained that Otai Reformasi was a non-political movement formed by concerned citizens in 1998 to push for institutional reforms.

But the group, which was set up following Anwar’s sacking as deputy prime minister, is known for being pro-Anwar.

It now also comprises members of political parties such as PKR, DAP, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and Parti Amanah Negara.

On Tuesday, PKR supreme council member and Pakatan Harapan secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s term as the interim Prime Minister was never discussed at Pakatan presidential council meetings.

Saifuddin, who is also Foreign Minister, said Pakatan only made the decision that Anwar would be appointed after Dr Mahathir.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday following an hour-long meeting with the Prime Minister in Putrajaya, Anwar said Dr Mahathir must be given the space to lead the country within the agreed time frame.

On the motion at Bersatu’s recent annual general meeting calling for Dr Mahathir to serve a full term as Prime Minister, Dr Idris said Otai Reformasi was strongly against this.

He also said PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali’s recent calls for Anwar to review the appointments to the party’s central leadership council line-up were connected to attempts to derail the transition of power.

“There must be discipline or standard operating procedure to state anything.

“We view his (Azmin’s) statement seriously as it was done publicly,” he added.

He said Azmin changed his tune after the recent PKR polls.

“You saw there was hugging and kissing on stage at the PKR convention (after the polls).

“But after a month, he is now showing his true colours,” he said.

Among those appointed to the council was former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, who lost the deputy presidency to Azmin in a heated contest.