TO BE ‘BIG BOSS’

candidate with party president and wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the “interim prime minister”.

At the congress, delegates and other Pakatan leaders, including DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and Parti Amanah Negara (PAN) president Mohamad Sabu, held placards bearing the words “Anwar as the 7th PM”.

However, former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin refrained from doing so, sparking speculation that the duo disagreed with their allies on the subject.

On this, Azman said while PPBM was considered the “newbie” in Pakatan and should respect PKR and DAP’s wish to name Anwar as the prime ministerial candidate, the pact must also be open to suggestions.

“Pakatan should be more open to proposals, someone who is accepted by Malaysians.

“Names like Muhyiddin or PKR deputy president Azmin Ali can also be considered as the prime ministerial candidate. DAP and PKR must be open to a dynamic political discourse.”

Pas vice-president Idris Ahmad regarded the infighting as Pakatan leaders failing to “give and take”, adding that they should take a look at themselves before voicing their preference for the top post.

“Everyone wants to be the ‘big boss’. Sometimes, they fail to look at themselves in the mirror. They should think about toppling the Barisan Nasional government first, and then decide who is the most suitable for the job.”

Echoing Idris’s sentiment was PAN communications director Khalid Samad who believed that the matter of choosing the prime minister candidate should be put on hold as Pakatan must first come up with its manifesto in winning the people’s trust.

He said discussing the top post would only allow BN and Pas to highlight Pakatan’s infighting.

“We must stick to the priority, which is the manifesto. We have to let the people know what we want to achieve if we take over.

“We will discuss the prime minister issue when it is relevant to do so, which is after we win.”